


Shō Enters the Secret World of Arrietty

by moviefan_92



Category: Kari-gurashi no Arietti | The Secret World of Arrietty
Genre: Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Romance, Angst with a Happy Ending, Arranged Marriage, Awkward Romance, Best Friends, Brotherly Love, Comfort/Angst, Declarations Of Love, Developing Friendships, Drama, Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family Drama, Fantasy, Female Friendship, First Love, Fluff and Angst, Fortune Telling, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Heavy Angst, Inspired by Studio Ghibli, Light Angst, Long-Distance Friendship, Love, Love Confessions, Love Triangles, Magic, Magic-Users, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Marriage of Convenience, Planning Adventures, Platonic Romance, References to The Borrowers, Romance, Romantic Friendship, Slow Romance, Studio Ghibli, Studio Ghibli References, Teen Romance, True Love, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-02 07:39:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 49,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17260232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moviefan_92/pseuds/moviefan_92
Summary: Six years have gone by since Shō and Arrietty were forced to say goodbye. In order to preserve the borrower race, and to provide a good future for their daughter, Pod and Homily have engaged Arrietty and Spiller. But Arrietty only cares for Spiller as a good friend, not to mention she can't stop think about a certain "bean". Shō's feelings are the same, yet he has no idea where Arrietty even is. Sensing their feelings, a mysterious fortuneteller approaches Shō and offers him a chance for him and Arrietty to be together, for a price. Shrunk down to 10 centimeters tall, Shō now has three days to find Arrietty before the spells wears off and she is married to Spiller.Adventure/Romance/Friendship/Fantasy/Drama/Angst. Pairings: Arrietty and Shō, Spiller and Arrietty.STORY COMPLETE





	1. Unpleasant Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> (A/N: Ok, I was going to hold off on this for a while since I'm already in the middle of writing two others, but due to popular demand, I've begun my Arrietty fic. I've only seen the dubbed version, but the characters are still going by their original names. I hope you all enjoy my new fic.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing
> 
> "...Talking..."
> 
> '...Thinking...'

**Originally posted on 03/02/12 - 07/13/12 at: _<https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7888750/1/Sh%C5%8D-Enters-the-Secret-World-of-Arrietty>_**

 

 

**" SHŌ ENTERS THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY"**

**Chapter 1: Unpleasant Surprise**

She was an early riser. Always had been, ever since she was a little girl. So she made her way to the outside. Coming to the hidden door, if it could be referred to as such, she pulled it open and stepped outside. The sun had risen not too long ago, but so far it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day.

Standing only ten centimeters tall, Arrietty walked out onto the tree branch. She breathed in deeply as she appreciated the view her new home gave her. Well, it wasn't really new to her anymore. She and her family had been living here for the past four years. This was her third home. Her previous home had been torn down after the "beans", short for human beings, that owned it had moved out, forcing Arrietty and her family to find yet another new home after only living there for two years.

But she was happy here, living in a large oak tree in the middle of the park. It had been pure luck that they had come across it. And as a bonus, it seemed that others like her had once lived in this tree as well. Though it had long since been abandoned, there was lots of furniture and other "borrowed" items the previous family had left behind.

Of course, it needed some fixing up, but it was habitable. The inside of the tree had been carved to make several tunnels and empty spaces that had been made into rooms. It reminded Arrietty of those ant farms certain beans enjoyed keeping. The tunnels ran underground too, leading to certain areas of the park. And during the winter, they would move to the underground part of the tree, which acted as an igloo, keeping the heat trapped inside so Arrietty and her family were kept nice and toasty.

It must have taken years, maybe even generations for the previous family, or families, that lived here to get it the way it was. But the tree was in good condition, and well cared for since it was a memorial tree, meaning they didn't need to worry about it being cut down or having any bean children climbing up it or desecrating it. Of course, that meant staying hidden when the gardeners tended to it, but Arrietty and her family were good at hiding from the beans.

Walking along the branch, Arrietty placed her hand over her brow to block out the sun so she could see the clock hanging on the wall in the recreation center a short distance away. It was 7:02. The beans that worked there never came before 8:30. An hour and a half was more than enough time to sneak inside and borrow a few things. Technically, "borrow" really meant steal, but they only took things that the beans wouldn't notice or miss, such as cubes of sugar, which was always in good supply since the beans that worked in the recreation center were fond of coffee. There were also three different vending machines that had other goodies they could borrow. And just beyond the small building was a stream that led to a lake a mile or so away, which was perfect for swimming and gathering water.

"Arrie."

Arrietty jumped in surprise and looked up. Hanging from the branch above her was a young man. Dark of skin, rather muscular with long black hair, and dressed rather primitive, he smiled down at her and hopped onto her branch.

"Morning, Spiller." She greeted him happily. "Sleep well?"

Spiller nodded. "Yes, Spiller have good sleep."

Arrietty chuckled at his awkward speech. Even after all these years, he still spoke rather childishly, and kept his child-like personality, but Arrietty liked that about him.

She had first met Spiller six years ago. At the time, she had thought that she, her mother, and father were the last borrowers left. That is, until Spiller came into their lives. And it was lucky he had come along when he did. Her father had been out searching for a new place for them to live when he sprained his ankle. It was Spiller who came to the rescue, helping her father back to their little house, and then bringing them news that there were still many borrowers left, and even helping them find a new home.

Spiller had moved in with Arrietty and her family after that. He had no family of his own, which was why he was such a "wild boy", but they were happy to have him join them. It was good to have someone new around.

"Hey, Spiller," she said excitedly, "we've still got some time before the beans show up. Want to go borrow something from the vending machines? How about some M&Ms?"

Spiller gave her a hopeful look. "Peanut kind?"

She gave him a smile. "Sure, the ones with peanuts."

"That will have to wait."

The two borrowers looked at the opening to the tree to see Arrietty's parents coming to join him; Pod, her stern but loving father, and Homily, her over protective and slightly paranoid mother.

Arrietty frowned. "But, Papa, if we don't go now, we won't have time before the beans get here."

Her mother, as always, looked visibly shaken at the idea of her daughter going out when beans would be arriving soon. "You shouldn't be cutting it so close anyway. Why can't you just go borrowing at night when we know there won't be any beans around?"

"Mama!" Arrietty groaned. "You promised you'd stop worrying so much."

"I can't stop worrying!" Homily cried. "I'm never going to be able to stop worrying about you!"

Pod rested a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Calm down, dear. Getting discovered by beans is not what this is about." He looked at the other borrower that he had come to love as a son. "Spiller, would you mind leaving us alone for a moment. We would like to talk with our daughter."

Spiller nodded. "I go." He said, and began to head inside. Before he did, he looked back at Pod. "Tell now?"

Pod nodded back. "Yes, tell now."

Spiller grinned as if he had heard that Christmas had come early and rushed inside, whooping. Arrietty raised an eyebrow at his behavior. What was he so excited about, and what was "tell now" supposed to mean?

Maybe that's what her parents wanted to talk to her about. "So, what's up, Papa?"

Pod motioned for her to sit down. "Take a seat."

Arrietty did as she was told and sat down on a twig. "Is something wrong?"

Homily shook her head. "No, no, deary, not at all. It's good news. Wonderful news actually." She seemed very giddy now. "Oh, I'm too excited! Pod, you tell her."

Her husband chuckled. "If you want me to." He gave his daughter a kind but serious smile, but he didn't say anything.

Arrietty waited, but her father remained silent, seeming to be trying to find the right words he wanted to say. "What is it, Papa? Why are you smiling at me like that?"

Pod sighed. "It's just hard to believe my little girl is twenty years old."

An embarrassed blush crept up Arrietty's cheeks. "Papa, I've been twenty for a few months already. Why are you bringing this up now?"

"Oh," Homily muttered dreamily, "where did the years go? It seems just yesterday that you were still a baby."

"Yes," Pod agreed, "the years have flown by. For all of us."

Arrietty felt like what he just said held deeper meaning. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you're mother and I are getting older, Arrietty, and we're not always going to be there to take care of you."

"What are you talking about? You make it sound like you're dying. You're only in your fifties. You've got a good thirty something years left." A terrible thought occurred to her. "Oh no, Papa, you and Mama aren't sick, are you?"

Homily waved her arms. "No, no, nothing like that!"

"But we're not getting any younger either." Pod added. "My back is starting to bother me in my old age. I don't know how many more years I'll be able to go out borrowing."

Arrietty gave him a smile. "That's not a problem. Spiller and I can do the borrowing. I'll have to be in charge of the food runs though, otherwise Spiller will bring back cricket legs, or grasshopper antenna and stuff."

She cringed at the thought. She understood that Spiller had lived in the wild for most of his life, but still, how could he eat things like that?

"We know that you can take care of yourself," Pod continued, "but we want to make sure you'll be well provided for. What you need is a husband."

A few seconds of silence passed by after this statement. It took a few moments for it to register to Arrietty just what her father was saying. "I need a what?" she cried.

"A husband to provide and take care of you." her father repeated.

"And Spiller has asked us for your hand in marriage." Her mother finally exclaimed happily.

Arrietty felt her stomach drop. "Spiller did?"

"And we've given him our blessings." Homily finished.

"You did what?" Arrietty jumped to her feet. "Oh, Mama, you didn't!"

"Spiller will make a fine husband." Her mother continued. "He may behave like a child at times, but he's strong and brave, very dependable. And he really loves you. He'll take good care of you."

"I don't need to be taken care of!" Arrietty cried stubbornly.

This was so sudden. She had definitely not seen this coming. Her parents had engaged her to Spiller? But he was like a brother to her. She loved the guy dearly, but only as a close friend, a family member. The two of them getting married just didn't seem right.

"It's not just about having someone take care of you." her father told her. "We want to see you happy."

"Don't you want to have a family of your own?" her mother asked.

"Well… yeah, but…"

"And I very much want to be a grandmother."

Arrietty blushed. "But… with Spiller?" she cried. "I love him like a brother. Marrying him would be just too weird."

"Well, Arrietty, it's not as if you have many options left." Pod pointed out. "We may not be the last of our kind as we originally thought, but we're still far from common. There aren't many of us left."

Arrietty knew that. The first time they had moved, she had met other borrowers, but unless a family lived in the same bean's house, it was rare that they ever met up.

"I'm sure your feelings for him will change to the more romantic kind after the two of you are married." Homily stated.

Arrietty doubted it, but she tried imaging a life with Spiller where they were husband and wife rather than sort-of-siblings. After a few moments, she frowned and shook her head. Even though they weren't related, it felt sort of like incest. How could she marry someone she had brotherly love for?

"No, it just won't work out." she told them. "I just can't see the two of us together as a couple."

"He's you're best chance." Her mother told her. "Unless we move again, you're chances of meeting another boy are slim at best."

Arrietty frowned. That was true, and she wasn't willing to move again on the off chance of meet another boy. To put it simply, she was basically  _stuck_  with Spiller. Not that he was a bad choice. She could say that Spiller was handsome, he was kind and would make a good husband, just not to her. The way she felt about him was not suitable for marriage.

Before she could say anything, her father spoke up. "We've already agreed anyway. We've accepted his proposal."

"I've already started making wedding plans." Homily added excitedly.

Arrietty felt irritated by this. Wasn't  _she_  the one who was supposed to accept the proposal? Asking her parents permission was considerate on Spiller's part, but her parents had no right to accept the proposal for her. She could see how they were doing what they thought was best for her, but still, she should have a say in how to run her life. She wanted to be with someone she loved that was a different type of love than what she felt for her parents and Spiller. She wanted the passionate romantic kind of love. She wanted…

Pod noticed a far away look appear in his daughter's eyes. He'd seen that look before, and he knew what she was thinking about. He'd kept his thoughts to himself about it for years, thinking it would just go away, but it never did. If anything, it just got worse. Perhaps he should have spoken to her about it a long time ago. Maybe things would be different now. But it wasn't doing anyone any good thinking about what he should have or could have done. He and his daughter needed to have a long overdue talk.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he let out a sigh. "Homily, could I speak to Arrietty alone for a moment?"

Homily looked surprised for a moment. "Oh, um, yes, of course. I'll be going now."

Pod waited for his wife to disappear inside the tree before turning to his daughter again. "Arrietty, the way you feel about Spiller isn't the only reason you don't want to marry him, is it?"

Arrietty's mouth dropped open slightly in surprise, but she regained her composure quickly and turned away. "I… I don't know what you're talking about?"

"Is that why you can't look me in the eye when you say that?"

Arrietty felt her cheeks grow warm and forced herself to look at her father, though she said nothing in response. But her silence seemed to confirm what her father was concerned about and he sighed.

"Arrietty, I admit that I could have been wrong. Perhaps not all beans are bad."

"They're not!" Arrietty snapped, a little too defensively. "If it hadn't been for him, mother would have, no,  _all_  of us would have-"

"I'm aware." Pod interrupted, preferring not to think about the day his wife had been caught and trapped in a jar. "We owe that boy a great deal of gratitude, but Arrietty, what you have in mind is just impossible. It won't work out, not now, not ever."

Arrietty clenched her dress so tightly that her knuckles turned white. "You think I don't know that! I never asked to feel this way! And I've tried to forget, but I just can't!"

She felt tears prickle her eyes and squeezed them together to prevent them from falling. After a few moments, she felt her father's hand on her chin, and she opened her eyes as he raised her head to face him again.

"All the more reason to settle down." He told her. "It'll help you get over your feelings for him."

Arrietty took a moment to gather her nerves before daring to say, "What if I don't want to forget my feelings for him?"

That stern look appeared on her father's face. "That's foolish talk, Arrietty. You live in two completely different worlds. He's a bean, and you're a borrower. I'm sorry, but that's just the way things are."

Arrietty nodded, but she still looked as if she was about to cry. Pod couldn't stand to see her upset like this. Perhaps it would be best to leave her alone for a while and let everything sink in.

Getting up to leave, he headed back to the tree. He paused at the door and glanced back at her. "You'll be happy with Spiller as a husband. He'll take care of you."

Arrietty didn't reply as he father headed inside. Happy with Spiller as her husband? No, at most she'll be content. But even if she didn't marry him, could she ever truly be happy with anyone other than the one person the fates themselves seemed intent one keeping away from her?

With a sigh, she looked at the clock in the recreation center. It was now 7:46. Too late to borrow anything from there without the risk of being seen. Not that it really mattered; she didn't feel much like borrowing right now anymore. Instead, she plopped down on a leaf, using it like a hammock.

"Shō…" she whispered.

She hadn't seen him for six years, yet she still remembered him as if it had been yesterday. She wondered if he still remembered her. She immediately chuckled at the thought. Of course he still remembered her. How could anyone forget meeting someone that was only ten centimeters tall? Unless he dismissed it as a dream or a fantasy over the years.

No, he had promised that he would never forget her, and she believed him. But she wondered what he was up to these days. Was he still sickly? Had he moved somewhere far away? Did he have a family of his own? He would be eighteen now. He probably didn't have a family, but maybe a girlfriend.

The thought made her heart ache, and she scolded herself for her it. She should not be feeling heartache over a bean; it just wasn't logical. So why was she torturing herself like this? Why couldn't she give him up?

' _If only I hadn't been seen.'_  She thought to herself.  _'Then we wouldn't have had to move, and I could have stayed with him.'_

The irony about that was that if she hadn't been seen, then she never would have gotten to know him at all, and he'd just be another bean to her.

Yes, fate was cruel.

If only her grandparents hadn't been so afraid of Shō's grandparents and had moved into the dollhouse they had made for them, then maybe…

She shook her head. She couldn't dwell on what ifs. No matter how different things could have been, things could still never work out between them. Her father was right; she had to accept the way things were.

"But if only there were a chance that we could be together." She said to herself. "If only we could…"

Unbeknownst to her, someone been drawn to her heartfelt wishes and had been listening in on her private thoughts, and that someone wasn't Spiller or her parents. From another branch, much higher up, a woman with a pink veil covering the lower part of her face looked down at the young borrower.

"Yes, if only." The woman muttered to herself, stroking a small round object in her hands. "Perhaps we can all get what we want out of this."

The wind blew, causing a leaf to obscure her from vision. When the leaf moved aside, the woman was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: There's the first chapter, revealing what happened to Arrietty and her family over the years. And as the chapter title states, she got a rather unpleasant surprise. I hope no one looks down on her parents for the arranged marriage; they think they're acting in her best interests. And it's not that Arrietty doesn't love Spiller, it's just not that kind of love. Imagine suddenly getting engaged to you best friend or adoptive/step sibling if you have one. You probably wouldn't be too happy either. And just who is this mysterious woman that seems to want to fulfill Arrietty's wish? You'll have to stay tuned for that. Next chapter will be about Shō and what he's been up to over the years. So tell me how you like my first chapter.)


	2. The Fortuneteller

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Wow, fans are flocking to this fic rather quickly. Yay! This chapter will start to rear the story in the direction I want the plot to go in.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 2: The Fortuneteller**

Not too far from the park, a certain human being made his way home. Home for him was an apartment that he rented. The apartment was, as far as he knew, borrower free, but there could be some living there and he just didn't know about it. Then again, if he, or anyone else, did know about them, then the little family would no doubt move out.

Still, it was unlikely that there were any. Borrowers were, perhaps, the most endangered life forms on the planet. The chance of coming across even one was highly unlikely, but that didn't stop Shō from searching for evidence of them. Of course, he was extremely discrete about it. If any borrowers realized they were discovered, or that he was even looking for them, they'd quickly find a new place to live. Shō had made that mistake once before.

It had been six years ago. After he had discovered the hidden home of Arrietty and her family, as a gesture of kindness, he had given them a brand new kitchen his grandfather had made especially for them. Though his intentions had been good, he had done more harm. Not only did he accidentally make a mess of the rest of the little house, he had also scared Arrietty and her parents away. To this day, he still felt guilty about what he did.

At least Arrietty didn't hold it against him, even if the problem escalated after that. The housekeeper, Haru, had discovered the borrowers before they left. The old woman had apparently known about borrowers for a long time and had been looking for proof of them for years after everyone assumed she was crazy for ranting on about the little people.

Poor Homily had been caught, but Shō managed to find where she was hidden and distracted Haru while Arrietty rescued her mother, leaving Haru with no proof of the borrowers' existence. Shō wondered what happened to her after that. According to his Great Aunt Sadako, Haru was brought to a "home" after she insisted to the exterminators she hired to catch the borrowers that the house was full of little people.

Though Shō had earned the trusts of, at least, Arrietty and her mother, the little family still moved away. As a parting gift to remember her by, Arrietty had given Shō her "hair" clip. He still had it, tied to a piece of string that he wore around his neck, dangling just over his heart. A heart that was finally strong and healthy.

After Arrietty and her family moved away, Shō had finally had his heart operation. Though the chances weren't in his favor, it had been a success. After a long recovery process, he was able to live a normal life like the other children.

But even after he recovered, his life wasn't exactly normal. He had been born with a very weak heart and was always sickly because of it. He always had to take it easy and rest. It had made it hard for him to make friends since he was "fragile". Not that he had tried that hard in the first place, always thinking that he wouldn't have much longer to live.

Now that he was healthy, he didn't really know how to fit in with the public. Perhaps that's why he and Arrietty had gotten along so well. She too had a lonely childhood, never leaving her house, thinking there were no other borrowers left. So they could really relate to each other.

At least Arrietty had her parents. Shō'd had a lot of problems with his parents. He felt like he was partly at fault too. It had been because of his heart condition. Predictably, his medical bills had been high, so his parents had to work all the time. It had been very stressful for them. Eventually his father had had enough. He said he was tired of working all the time for a child that was going to die, and he wanted a life where he didn't have to be busy all the time.

This had caused a big argument to break out between Shō's mother and father. Things continued to go downhill after that. His father soon turned to alcohol and become a drunk. Arguments became more common and more intense, until finally, one day, his father left, abandoning his wife and son.

His mother had done her best to support them, but the money had become too much of a problem. She couldn't afford to keep paying for her son's condition, and so, the operation had become the only option left. It was a risky operation, which was why it had been put off for so long, but in the end it had been for the best.

Sadly, even once he was healthy, Shō never saw his father again and hardly ever heard from him. For quite some time, Shō blamed himself for the divorce, but his mother had insisted that it was his father who had abandoned them and walked away from his responsibilities. Eventually, Shō stopped blaming himself and was able to move past it.

Things were a lot better now. His mother had gotten remarried to a great man, and they were living happily together. Shō was glad that his mother had found someone; she deserved to be happy and not always have to worry about her son. This was one of the reasons why Shō had moved out at such an early age. He wanted his mother and her new husband to enjoy the married life, especially after she had worked nonstop for twelve years straight taking care of him.

That had been two years ago. Now Shō was walking down the street that his apartment was on. He stopped as he saw something different about his block. Beside his apartment was a woman dressed in purple robes and wearing a great deal of jewelry and a turban. She was sitting at a cloth-covered table with a crystal ball resting in the middle.

' _Must be a traveling fortuneteller.'_  He thought.  _'Probably just a scam.'_

He continued down the street, ignoring the woman as he walked by. He hadn't gone more than a few feet past her before she spoke to him.

"Would you like to know you're fortune, young man?"

Shō glanced at her. He didn't believe in fortunetelling, but he didn't want to be rude. "No, thank you. I'm good."

"I can tell you anything you want." The woman persisted. "About yourself, about others, anything you wish to know."

Shō gave her a kind smile. "I appreciate it, but I don't really believe in that kind of stuff. Sorry."

He was about to head inside, but what the woman said next stopped him. "Beliefs can change. Did you always believe in little people?" His reaction was almost comical, and the fortuneteller chuckled. "Come, Shō, have a seat, and lets talk."

Hesitantly, Shō made his way over to her. Had that chair on the opposite side of the table always been there? He didn't remember seeing it.

He sat down across from the woman. Her face was hidden by a pink veil that covered the lower half of her face, and she wore dark glasses, hiding her eyes. Was there a reason she was keeping herself so wrapped up? It was rather warm out Maybe she was badly scarred. Or, perhaps, she was simply dressing the part.

"How do you know my name?" he asked. "And how did you know about the little people?"

"I know them by their proper name too." the woman replied. "Borrowers, and they refer to humans as beans."

She reached for her crystal ball, tracing her long painted fingernail over it. Shō glanced down at the crystal ball. It appeared to be made of foggy glass, and inside were little golden lights, like a bunch of fireflies, only much smaller.

"I mentioned them because I knew it'd get you're attention." She continued.

Shō gave her a suspicious look. "Who are you?"

The woman chuckled. "Just another person trying to survive in the world. Some consider me to be a giving angel, others consider me a heartless witch. It all depends on the circumstances."

Shō wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing, but he would at least hear her out; she could prove to be the giving angel she claimed to be. "Ok, what do you want?"

She shook her finger. "It's not what I want, but what  _you_  want. Tell me what you desire. If it is of my knowledge, I shall speak of it. If it's within my power, I shall grant your wish." Her tone changed, suggesting that she was smiling behind her veil. "But I believe I already know what you seek. Information about a certain little girl. A very,  _very_  little girl named Arrietty Clock."

Shō raised an eyebrow. Clock was Arrietty's last name? He hadn't even considered the possibility that borrowers had last names.

He put the thought aside. This woman was for real, and, as she said, she had knowledge that he desperately wanted. "How is she? Is she doing all right? How about her family? Where are they now?"

The woman raised her hand to silence him. "One question at a time, please." She waved her hand over the crystal ball and, to Shō's amazement, it began to hover in the air, glowing with a dim golden light. "The girl and her family are not far from here. Within walking distance, in fact."

Shō's eyes lit up. "Really?" His first thought was that maybe he could visit. Then again, that might scare the little family away again, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. "How is she?"

"Very well. She's grown into a lovely young woman. In fact, she'll be getting married soon."

Married… The word echoed in Shō's ear. Arrietty was getting married? It was very unexpected information. A feeling of numbness passed through him, his mind going blank.

"M-Married?"

"Indeed."

"What do you mean, she's getting married?"

The woman raised an eyebrow. "I would have thought that was obvious. It means the same thing to borrowers as it does to humans. She'll be taking a husband soon. Her groom's name is Spiller. He was the one that helped her and her family move from your aunt's house."

A phantom pain stabbed at Shō's heart, the feeling reminding him of his old weak heart. So, Arrietty was getting married, was she? That was a good thing, he supposed. He was glad she found someone special to be with. With so few borrowers in the world, he had been afraid that she'd end up all alone.

"Well…" he muttered, "good for her. I'm… I'm happy for her. She deserves to be happy."

The woman shook her finger at him again. "You cannot lie to me. I know you're not happy."

"But I am!" Shō insisted. And it was true, to an extent. "As long as she's happy, then I'll be happy."

The woman leaned in close. "I never said she was happy."

Shō gave her a confused look. "What?"

"I never said she was happy." The woman repeated. "She's far from happy. She doesn't want this wedding. It was arranged by her parents without her consent."

This news shocked Shō. He didn't think her parents were the kind of people that would force their daughter into an unwanted marriage. This wasn't the 1400s. But then again, maybe things were different in the borrowers' world.

"Don't her parents care that she doesn't want to get married?" he asked.

"Of course." The woman replied. "They don't want to see their daughter sad, but that's also why they've arranged this marriage. You must see this from their point of view. Borrowers are not common creatures. They see Spiller as the only candidate for marriage. They believe that this is for the best. There's also the matter of preserving the borrower race. They're aren't that many, you know."

"So Arrietty is just going along with it?"

"Reluctantly, but yes. I suppose you can say that she's  _settling_  for him. The way she sees it, if she can't be with the person she truly loves, she might as well just accept her parents' choice for her."

Another painful stab at his heart. "Wait, she's in love with someone else? Then why can't she marry that person?"

The woman tapped her crystal ball, as if considering her words carefully. "It seems that the two are currently… incompatible."

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Lets just say that the one she really wants is too big for her."

Shō thought about this. "Too big for her? You mean too  _old_  for her?"

The woman shook her head. "No, he is actually younger than her, but also several feet too tall. Feet by human standards, that is. And he's grown even taller in the six years since he's seen her."

Things began to click. The idea seemed absurd, but the pointed look the woman was giving he only seemed to indicate that his thoughts were correct.

"You mean… me?"

"Ah, so it finally registers!"

Shō shook his head. "No, that's impossible."

The woman cocked her head to the side. "And why is that?"

"Because it's…" He trailed off, but the words  _"too good to be true"_  hanging on the tip of his tongue. "Because I'm a human, and she's a borrower."

"This did not stop your love for her. Did you not tell her before you parted that she was in your heart?"

Shō gasped. How could this woman know what he had said six years ago? But if what she said was true, that only made things worse. He didn't want Arrietty to pin away for him the way he pinned away for her.

"Don't look so down." The woman told him. "Humans and borrowers are not so different. The two are merely different directions your ancestors went in during evolution. You have no reason to give up on your love, nor does she."

This surprised Shō. "But she… I…"

"Have a pure rare love that is not often found."

She reached up and took of her glasses. Shō felt a chill run through him as he looked into them. No wonder she wore those glasses. Her eyes were entirely black, aside from what seemed to be stars speckling them. Countless stars, even galaxies, were floating around in the blackness of her eyes. It was if she were wearing contact lens made of the starry night sky itself. Were these eyes how she was able to  _see_  everything?

"I have lived a very long time," she continued, "and I have seen many, many things in this world, and the world beyond. Believe me when I say the love you two share is of the greatest kind. I have only seen such a few other times."

A blush stained Shō's cheeks. "Even if you say that, we're not simple star-crossed lovers. You say I shouldn't give up my love, but how can there be any hope?"

The woman stroked her crystal ball again. "Love often has obstacles. Even the pure loves I spoke of have had their share of challenges; yet they have come to fruition. A cursed prince and the wolf princess, a delivery witch and an aviation fanatic, a bewitched pilot and a singing diva, a talented violin maker and an imaginative writer; you may even have read one of her books. Ever hear of  _'Whisper of the Heart'_?"

"Yes, it's very popular, but my situation is different. I'm a human, Arrietty is a borrower."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Shall I give further examples that match your dilemma, yet have worked out? A girl and her dragon, the daughter of a sea goddess and a normal boy-"

"Wait," Shō interrupted, "did you just say a dragon?"

"There is a whole other world connected to this one. Life has many mysteries and many secrets. You merely found one of them when you discovered the secret world of Arrietty." She leaned in close. "I have the power to allow you to truly enter that world. If, of course, you're willing to pay."

So here came the scam part, but from what Shō had heard from her, this certainly didn't seem like a scam. Would he actually be able to see Arrietty again?

"I…" he muttered, "I don't think I have the right to interfere with her life again. I really messed things up last time."

"We all make mistakes." the woman pointed out. "You were doing her family a kindness that just happened to backfire. But are you going to let the girl you love be trapped in an unwanted marriage simply because you made a mistake?" She studied him carefully. "What would you be willing to do for her? What would you be willing to give up to see her happy?"

Shō's fists clenched. "Anything."

The woman smiled behind her veil. "I am pleased to hear it. And if what you say is true, then I can offer you a chance, just a chance, to accomplish your dream. If, as I said, you're willing to pay."

"How much?"

The woman sat back. "I never ask more than what a person is able and willing to pay. For you, it will cost sixty."

Shō raised an eyebrow. "Sixty? Sixty yen?"

The woman laughed. "I'm afraid it's a bit more than a mere sixty yen."

"You mean sixty thousand?"  **(A/N: approximately $600.)** That was nearly two months rent. He might lose his apartment.

"My services are not cheap," the woman said irritably, "but if you find it worth the price, you shall have what you want."

"I…" Shō swallowed nervously. "I accept."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Shō has entered the story now, and he's met the mysterious fortuneteller, who has given him valuable information and a once in a lifetime opportunity. But things aren't as simple as they seem. Oh, and for those of you that don't know, Japanese currency is different from American money. They use yen instead of dollars. The equivalent is approximately one yen is equal to one cent. Would you pay $600 for a chance to be with the one you love? Don't worry, Shō's not stupid. He's going to get more information before just jumping in. You see what happens next chapter.)


	3. The Contract

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Wow, everyone seemed more excited about my Ghibli references than the chapter itself. Maybe I should make references more often. Tell you what, I'll add another one in this chapter. There's also a few interesting facts of life thrown in, but that's not important. Also, I wasn't saying that $600 is too much to pay to be with the one you love, I was merely explaining Japanese currency. After this chapter, things will begin to fall into place for the main plot.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 3: The Contract**

The woman waved her hand and a sheet of golden paper with strange writing on it appeared. "This is a magical contract explaining the terms and conditions. It will make our deal official. If you accept, sign at the bottom."

Shō glanced at the golden paper. He had no idea what any of it said, and it didn't look like any language he'd ever seen before. He was smart enough to know not to agree to any contract unless he knew exactly what it entitled.

"I can't read it. What does it say?"

The woman looked impressed. "You are very wise to question your contract. Many times my customers have agreed without knowing the terms in their hast to have their desires fulfilled." She pointed to the contract. "To achieve your hearts desire, you will have to face a condition. You will have three days to meet with the one you love. If she accepts your love, the two of you will be able to be together forever. However, if she rejects you, or if you cannot meet her before the three days are up, then things will return to the way they are now."

Shō felt his heart rate increase. "Meet with her? But I don't even know where she is."

"I do. She and her family live in a memorial tree in the park; the one by the recreation center."

"She's there!" Shō cried. He knew the tree she was talking about. Was that really where Arrietty was?

"Yes, but you cannot go to her now. Not if you want to fulfill the conditions of the contract." At Shō's confused look, she continued. "Certain magic has rules and conditions that need to be met. You have to fulfill these obligations before a spell will work properly. I will aid you in this."

Shō thought about this. "Ok, by just out of curiosity, why three days? That seems kind of cliché"

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Have you never heard of the Magic Three? It pops up several times in fairytales. Three wishes from a genie, three days to guess Rumpelstiltskin's name, three day for the mermaid to kiss the prince," she gave him a pointed look, "three chances before Little Bunny Foo-Foo gets turned into a goon."

Shō couldn't help but snicker at the last one. "Both those are just stories."

"All stories originate from some form of reality. But if you really want to know the truth, three ties in with life. Three weeks without food before death, three days without water, three minutes before freezing, three minutes without oxygen. Are you beginning to understand? Three days before the spells wears off, or I suppose you can say before the magic dies off, unless it no longer becomes a spell and becomes a part of you instead, which will only happen if the conditions are met."

"What are the conditions?" Shō asked. He hoped it wouldn't be anything too complex. He knew nothing of magic; didn't even really believe in it, but if there was a chance…

"The spell is related to, or, more specifically, is entirely about your relationship with Arrietty. Therefore, it will need to be done where you first met her."

An uneasy feeling crept up Shō's spin. "That was at my great aunt's house."

Only it wasn't anymore. Sadly, his aunt had passed away three years ago. A new family was now living in the house. He couldn't just go waltzing on their property.

"I'll be able to help you sneak in," the woman told him, "so you won't need to worry about that."

Shō felt another chill run through him. "Are you…?"

The woman chuckled. "No, I can't read minds, but I am very good at knowing what people are thinking." She pushed the contract towards him. "But before I can help you any further, we must make our deal official."

Shō looked down at the contract, then back up at her. So he would have to make it from his aunt's old house to Arietty's home within three days. It was doable, he thought so at least, and well worth the risk if he and Arrietty could be together. "I don't have sixty thousand yen on me."

The woman shrugged. "I can't accept payment right now anyway."

"Huh?"

"I told you, certain magic has certain rules that must be followed. This includes when selling magic as well. I can't accept payment until after my services are no longer required. That is, until the three days are up, or until your love is accepted or rejected, whichever comes first."

' _Well,'_  Shō thought,  _'at least I don't need to worry about her running off after I pay her.'_

The woman snapped her fingers and a quill appeared in her hand, which she held out to Shō. "Sign at the bottom, if you agree to our terms that is. This deal will not be offered to you again."

Shō hesitated a moment, then reached for the quill. "Um, there's no ink."

"None needed. Just sign."

Shō looked down at the contract. Though he couldn't read the strange language, there was a large X at the bottom with a line next to it. It was obvious where he was supposed to sign.

As he wrote down his name, he expected it to be in his blood or something, but his name appeared in ordinary letters that seemed to be made of silver ink, standing out against the gold paper.

Once he was finished, the woman sighed her own name in the strange language beneath Shō's signature. "We have a bargain." Folding up the contract, she stuck it in her robes. "Shall we go?"

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Shō blinked in shock and looked around. Though things were different, mostly a lot neater, this was definitely his aunt's old house. How did he end up here? He had just been outside his apartment. Did they just teleport?

"That's one way of putting it." the woman told him, seeming to read his mind again; even though she said that she was unable to do this. "Teleporting, that is. I won't go into full detail of what really happened; it would just confuse you."

Shō decided not to question it. Things were already complicated enough with all this magic stuff. Instead, he looked over the fence to where he first saw Arrietty sneaking around in the yard.

"Not there." The woman told him; again as if she could read his mind. "That may have been where you first saw her, but you weren't entirely sure if you really saw what you saw. When was the first time you became certain that she was real and that you weren't seeing things?"

"Oh," Shō muttered, "that was in my room."

He remembered that night. Arrietty and her father had snuck into his room, thinking he was asleep. They seemed to be after some tissues, and that's when Arrietty realized that Shō was awake, and looking right at her. She and her father had quickly snuck away after that, accidentally dropping the cube of sugar they had borrowed. Shō had begged them not to leave, but they did anyway. He hadn't gone after them, because he didn't want to scare them anymore than he already had.

As he reminisced on this, he glanced at the woman beside him. She was giving him a pointed look, and Shō suddenly realized what needed to be done. "You mean I have to be in the room I stayed in?"

The woman nodded. "I'm afraid it's a condition for the spell. You will have to be in that room."

' _Great.'_  Shō thought. Now how was he supposed to pull that off? He couldn't exactly ask complete strangers if he could visit his old bedroom. "Can't you just teleport us inside?"

"I cannot magically enter another's dwelling without invitation."

Shō raised an eyebrow. "I thought that was vampires." He gave her a suspicious look. "You're  _not_  a vampire, are you?" It would explain why she was all wrapped up. Then again, her face and hands were still exposed to the sunlight.

The woman laughed at the absurdity of his question. "My dear boy, I said I can't  _magically_  enter without invitation. I'm a witch, not a vampire. Would you like to examine my teeth to see if I have any fangs?"

She didn't give him time to answer as she walked up to the house. Shō cautiously followed behind her until they reached the front door.

"I can give you one minute of invisibility." She told him. "Take a deep breath when I say and hold it. Even the smallest breath will break the spell, so be careful. Once you're inside, head up to your old room. Offer me an invitation inside and I will be beside you."

"Wait!" Shō cried. "You want me to do a breaking and entering?"

The woman shrugged. "If you wish to call it such."

She rang the doorbell before Shō could protest. A few seconds passed and the sound of the door being unlocked was heard.

"Take a deep breath now." she told him and waved her hand.

Shō barely managed to suck in a mouthful of air before the door opened and a man stood in the doorframe. "Yes, may I help you?"

The woman bowed respectfully. "Greetings, sir. I'm a traveling door-to-door saleswoman. I'm selling charms to ward off evil." She reached into her robes and pulled out several sutra scrolls. "I have various kinds for several different spiritual entities."

"I'm not interested."

"Oh, but, sir, don't say no before you hear me out. After all, haven't there been reports of things going missing from the houses around here a few years ago?"

The man looked startled. "W-What? How did you…?"

Shō didn't listen to anymore of the conversation. So far, the man didn't seem to notice him at all. Was he really invisible? Putting it to the test, he attempted to sneak past the man, accidentally brushing against him as he slipped inside. Though the man did seem unable to see him, he certainly felt him.

"What was that?" he asked, looking around for whatever had brushed against him.

"Oh my," said the woman, "it seems there's still some entities here. So, about these charms. Lets negotiate a price."

' _She_ is _a scam artist.'_  Shō thought to himself. Although this part didn't seem like a scam. He didn't have time to dwell on it though. He had one minute of invisibility, and he had to hold his breath during that time frame. He had to make it up to his old room before the spell ran out.

As he headed up the stairs, he walked by a mirror hanging on the wall. He cast no reflection in it as he passed, and couldn't help but gawk at it. Being told he was invisibly was hard enough to believe, but to see the evidence staring back at him was completely different. After all, he could still see himself if he looked down at his body.

' _No time to waste.'_

Ignoring his lack of reflection, he quickly made his way to his old room. Luck was on his side, because the door was unlocked, and no one was inside. After carefully closing the door, he let out the breath he had been holding.

"I can't believe I did that." he muttered. "This is so illegal. I'm a criminal."

Being careful not to make any noise, he crept over to the window and looked outside. He saw the woman walking away. She paused at the gate and looked up at him, waving.

"Ok," he whispered, "so now I need to invite her in." He hesitated as he realized he didn't know her name. "Um, ok, Miss Fortuneteller, please come in."

He blinked and the woman was gone from the yard.

"Well done."

Shō jumped, covering his mouth to keep from shouting. He turned around to find the woman in the room with him. "How did you do that?"

"Ignorance is bliss." She told him. "Now remain silent. We don't want to be discovered."

Reaching into her robes she pulled out what appeared to be a piece of chalk, then began drawing on the floor.

"What are you doing?" Shō scolded quietly.

"Magic ruins." The woman replied. "Don't worry, they will vanish once the spell is cast." She finished her drawings and then turned to him. "Now, stand in the middle there."

He hesitated, unsure of all of this. But he had already placed his trust in this woman so far.

Once he was standing where she directed him, the woman reached into her robes and pulled out a small vial, which she handed to him. "Now, drink this."

Shō carefully took it. "What is it? I thought you were going to perform a spell."

"A spell combined with a potion." She told him. "I was not born with magic, I simply use it. If you want the spell to work, you will have to drink this."

Shō looked at the vial. For a moment, he thought that it might be a drug that would knock him out and that he would be left to be discovered, and then arrested for breaking into someone else's house. But he dismissed the idea. Why would this woman go through all this just to get him in trouble for no reason?

Uncorking the vial, Shō felt fear grip him. What on earth was he doing? This was completely and utterly crazy. He had no idea what he was getting into. But for a chance to be with Arrietty, however briefly, he was willing to take a leap of faith.

He gulped down the contents of the vial. It tasted bitter and it burned on its way down. He had to try hard not to gag on it.

"Are you ready?" the woman asked.

Shō saw that what appeared to be purple electricity traveling between her fingers, originating from the crystal ball in her other hand. He knew that now came the magic part of the spell. His nerves were shot, but he nodded all the same.

Speaking in a strange language, the woman unleashed the magic she held. Shō gasped as the purple electricity flowed over him and the chalk symbols on the floor began to glow. A tingling feeling flowed through his body and he felt lightheaded.

The first thing he noticed was that his clothes were getting bigger. No, that was wrong; his clothes weren't getting bigger,  _he_  was getting smaller. Everything in the room began to tower over him, but Shō's vision was soon obstructed as he became lost in his own shirt.

A few moments later, only a pile of clothes remained where Shō once stood. A small lump began moving within it, making its way up the sleeve. When it finally reached the end, Shō, now ten centimeters tall, poked his head out. He immediately noticed two things. First was how large everything was. The second thing was slightly more alarming.

"I'm… I'm naked!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I threw that last part in there for a laugh. Only Shō shrank. That certainly wasn't expected. Now he's got a rather… revealing problem. Not that he has time to worry about it. He only has three days. He needs to get a move on immediately. By the way, who spotted my reference to both "Spirited Away" and "Howl's Moving Castle"? I'll tell you what it is next chapter. Oh, and no, the fortuneteller is not a vampire.)


	4. The Journey Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: We had some good guesses. Now I'll tell you the references. They were to Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle. Howl used chalk ruins to cast a spell like the fortuneteller did was the first reference. The second was the spell of invisibility. Haku used this on Chihiro, during which she had to hold her breath, and Howl used it on Sophie, and it lasted for only a minute.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 4: The Journey Begins**

Shō wrapped as much of the sleeve around himself as he could as he looked up at the giant fortuneteller, turning red with embarrassment. "Why am I naked?"

"Obviously because your clothes no longer fit." The woman replied simply. "The spell worked on you, not your clothes."

"Oh, come on! That's not funny!"

"Borrowers make their own clothes. This will be a start for you. Find a way to make yourself decent, then I'd suggest you begin your journey to the park."

"Wait," Shō cried, "you mean you're not going to help me?"

"I've helped you all I can for now. The next stage for your journey you must make alone. You may receive help on your way in whatever form it comes in, but I can no longer assist you."

"So you're just going to leave me here?"

"Consider it a test. If you're going to be a borrower, you'll need to be able to handle things like this, otherwise you're not cut out for this kind of life."

She reached down and scooped up the pile of clothes, leaving Shō lying curled up in ball on the floor. "What are you doing?"

"We can't leave these behind to be discovered." She told him. "You may take this with you though." She dropped the hairclip Arrietty had given to him on the floor. "Sentimental value. And you may find use of the string. Use whatever means necessary. Remember, you only have three days before you'll return to normal. If Arrietty accepts your love within that time, you will remain as you are."

"So you're really going to leave me like this?"

The woman appeared to think about this for a moment. Then she reached for the wastebasket and turned it on its side. "I would suggest using whatever you can find in there to your advantage."

Trying his best to hide his modesty, Shō looked into the wastebasket, seeing nothing more than a pile of garbage. "How am I supposed to use any of this stuff?"

He looked up at the woman for an answer, but found himself alone.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Arrietty was sulking. She had been all morning, and she had the right to. Her spontaneous mood from early was long gone, and all she wanted to do was stay in bed.

Glancing to the small desk beside her bed, she opened up the small cage her father had made for her out of a window screen. Out crawled a pill bug, the size of football to her. Arrietty held out her arm and it crawled up it. She had no idea that thousands of years from now, these little critters would evolve to become gigantic creatures called Ohmu, who protect and preserve the planet.

"Did you hear the news?" she told her pet. "I'm getting married."

Predictably, she received no response. The small gray insect just crawled down her body and onto her bed, trying to crawl off. Arrietty picked it up and it immediately curled into a ball. With a small smile, she laid back in her bed and began tossing her pet up and down.

"Arrie?"

Distracted, she missed catching the bug and it bounced off her head and onto the floor. It rolled over to her door, uncurled after a few seconds, then tried to scurry off again, only to be picked up by Spiller.

Holding the once again curled up bug, Spiller looked at it curiously, then ate Arrietty. "Eat now?"

She sat up. "No, Spiller. Potato is not for eating."

He looked confused. "We eat potatoes."

"No," she chuckled, getting up and walking over to him, "that's his name, remember."

Spiller handed the bug, Potato, back to her. "Sure no eat?"

"I don't like eating bugs, Spiller, you know that." She sat on her bed and sighed as she absentmindedly tossed Potato from one hand to the other.

Spiller studied her for a minute before sitting beside her on her bed. It sagged under his weight. Arrietty's bed was by no means small, but Spiller was rather large for a borrower, about 12 centimeters to an average borrower's 10.

"Pod and Homie tell?" he asked.

Arrietty stopped playing with her pet, keeping her eyes downcast. "Yes… they did."

Spiller beamed. "I glad! I wanted ask for a while." He looked slightly bashful. "Spiller glad they say yes."

"It was considerate of you to ask them," Arrietty told him, "but shouldn't you have asked me?"

"Ask parents first." Spiller told her. "They say they want talk with you before Spiller ask."

"Oh…" she muttered, reaching into Potato's cage and grabbing a handful of moss, which she dangled over his curled body. So her parents had made the decision before Spiller even got to ask her. She thought it was rather inconsiderate of them. She understood that they wanted her to be happy, and that it was her responsibility to preserve the borrowers race, but still, they could have asked before just deciding.

Spiller frowned as he watched her. "Arrie look sad. Why? Arrie not happy with Spiller?"

She gasped and looked at him. He looked rather putout. It hadn't been her intention to hurt him. "Oh, no, Spiller, it's not that. It's just… this was so… sudden. I didn't expect it."

Spiller broke out into a grin. "Surprise!"

Arrietty couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, I guess so."

She returned her attention to her pet. Potato had uncurled a bit and was munching on the moss Arrietty was holding over him.

Spiller's large hand came up and wrapped around Arrietty, pulling her to him. She gasped in surprise, dropping Potato. An embarrassed blush crept up her cheeks as Spiller hugged her, making her feel rather uncomfortable.

"Spiller love Arrie very much. Spiller love Arrie long time. Spiller glad to have Arrie for wife." He looked down at her. "Does Arrie not love Spiller?"

She looked up at him in surprise. "Oh no, Spiller, I do love you. It's just…"  _'Not the same way you love me.'_  She didn't voice these thoughts. She'd already consented to the marriage, why trouble Spiller with how she really felt? She did owe him a lot. "It's just, well, like I said, happening so fast. I guess I'm not over the shock yet."

Spiller smiled. "Don't worry, I make Arrie happy!" He stood up. "I go now. Spiller go find Arrie good wedding gift."

"Oh, Spiller, that's not necessary!"

"No, Spiller want to. Spiller find good gift."

He rushed out of the room, eager to begin his search. Arrietty remained where she was. Now she felt guilty. She didn't want to mislead Spiller, and she certainly didn't want him getting her a wedding gift for a wedding she didn't want. But how could she explain herself to him without breaking his heart? As grown up as he was, inside, Spiller was still very much a child. What would it serve to upset him when the wedding would happen anyway? No, it was better to keep quiet and feign happiness.

Sighing, she looked down to where she dropped Potato. Predictably, he'd already crawled off. He couldn't have gotten far though since there was only one way in and out of her room, and she hadn't seen him crawl out her door.

She spotted him on the ceiling. Fetching a chair, she stood on it to retrieve her pet, resulting in him curling up into a ball again when she got him down.

Returning him to his cage, she watched as he uncurled himself and began munching on his bed of moss. Arrietty wondered that if insects were capable of thinking beyond instinct if he would feel trapped inside his cage. That's exactly how she felt now. Like she was in a cage.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Shō was not happy. He did manage to find use for a couple things in the wastebasket as the fortuneteller said before she abandoned him, but he still wasn't happy.

At least he wasn't naked any longer. But he couldn't really call what he was wearing clothes. Using a candy wrapper, he used it to make a type of poncho. It was far from ideal, but it was all he had. Still, he didn't want to meet Arrietty dressed like… well,  _this!_

The biggest problem with his new "outfit" was that it had been ripped open when the candy was extracted, so now it kept hanging open like those hospital gowns he had to wear in the past. He solved this problem when he came across a rubber band, which had also been in the wastebasket. Wrapping it twice around his waist kept the wrapper from hanging open.

He now examined his appearance in a broken piece of glass, also from the wastebasket. "Guess this'll have to do. Good thing it's warm out."

He turned his attention to the necklace that was now a few hundred times too big for him. The fortuneteller was right; the string would come in handy. So he untied Arrietty's hairclip and coiled the string; he supposed he could now think of it as rope due to its size. Strapping it over his shoulder, he picked up the hairclip. He doubted it'd be useful, but he was not leaving it behind. He clipped it onto the rubber band around his waist, letting it hang there.

"Ok," he said, "here we go."

Even though he said this, he was in a bit of a dilemma. How was he supposed to get out of this room? He'd never be able to open the door or window, so what was he supposed to do?

"Think like a borrower." He told himself.

He looked around the room. The first thing he thought of was the air vent. He was sure he could fit through there. Maybe he could get downstairs from there somehow. But then what? He'd still be stuck in this huge house.

' _I guess I'm too new at this. Wish I had someone to help me out.'_

That's when he remembered it. Perhaps he already did have help. Arrietty and her family had lived here before. They must have a bunch of hidden passages all over the house. All he had to do was find one.

He looked up to where the dollhouse once stood six years ago. He'd seen Arrietty and her father go in there his first night here. Perhaps there was a secret passage up there somewhere. It was worth a look around. Of course, he had to find a way up there first.

"Think like a borrower." He repeated.

He examined the area. There was a desk right around the area. If he could just get up there…

He looked down at the rope hanging from his arm and got an idea. Walking over to the leg of the desk, he wrapped the rope around it. Slipping beneath the rope, he pushed his back against it while pushing against the desk's leg with his feet.

"This is definitely not going to be easy." He muttered.

Pushing back against the rope, he "walked" up the desk's leg. It was indeed a difficult task, and when he finally reached the top and hoisted himself up onto it, he collapsed, panting and sweating. That had certainly been an effort.

' _Can't stop now.'_  he thought.  _'I've only got three days.'_

Strapping the rope around his shoulder again, he walked over to the wall. Luckily, the desk was pressed right up against it. He felt around, going from one end of the desk to the other, and finally located what he was searching for. The wall sunk in, revealing a hidden door just big enough for him. This was the entrance to the secret passage, the entrance to the world of the borrowers.

Though he had found the hidden passage, he had no idea how to navigate through it. For the most part, he simple took whatever route led him further down. As he traveled, he marveled at how Arrietty's family, or whoever had been here before them, had set things up using simple household items to create a way for them to travel. Some things took a few minutes to figure out how they worked, such a strange contraption that seemed to act as a pulley.

It took some time, but he finally managed to make it all the way to the bottom. He realized that he was now underneath the house, right around where Arrietty's home used to be.

He walked around the space under the house, running into a few bugs along the way. It was unsettling seeing crickets the size of bicycles, but they didn't seem to be a danger. A couple observed him curiously, one or two even approaching, but they left him alone otherwise.

The light from the grate shined ahead of him. Shō climbed up and stepped outside. This was the place he had given Arrietty the cube of sugar she had left behind, and the flower that had finally gotten her to come seek him out.

He looked out at the open yard. It was now a large field to him. This was where his journey would truly begin. He had three days to make it to the park and find Arrietty. Three days before she was lost to him for good.

"All right," he said, "here I come."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Shō's journey has officially begun. It's not going to be easy for him though. Other borrowers have supplies and stuff when they go our. All Shō has is a piece of string, Arrietty's hairclip, and clothes made out of a candy wrapper and a rubber band. That's awkward. He won't make a good impression dressed like that, not that he has many options available to him. By the way, who like's Potato? I wanted to give Arrietty a pet. When I was a kid, I loved keeping a pill bug for a pet, and I always named it Potato; so that's where that came from.)


	5. Gently Down the Stream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I have bad news people. I have come to a decision, and it wasn't easy, but I'm going to have to drop this story. I know you're disappointed but… April Fool's! Did anyone actually fall for that? I didn't think it would work with an Author's Note, but decided to give it a try. Don't worry, there's no way I'm dropping this story or any others, so no worries. Here's the next chapter, hope you like it.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 5: Gently Down the Stream**

Shō wiped the sweat from his brow as he looked up at the sun. Judging from its position in the sky… he had no idea what time it was. But he estimated that he had been walking for about four to five hours. He knew he had a long journey to go, so he paced himself accordingly. Having been sick for so long, he had learned how to conserve his energy, never having had much to use in the first place.

But it seemed as if his journey had paid off. He was now by the stream where he had last seen Arrietty. It was at this spot that the two had said their goodbyes, and then she and her family had floated away on a boat made from a teapot.

' _How did they get a teapot to float anyway?'_  he wondered.

Sitting down, he tossed his rope and the leaf he had been using to conceal himself aside. He remembered how Arrietty had been doing the same thing when he had first seen her. It wasn't the perfect camouflage, but it was better than being out in the open. At least no birds that flew over him would see him and think he's a snack.

Squirming uncomfortably, he pulled at the candy wrapper he was wearing. He'd worked up a sweat on his hike, making the plastic wrap stick to him, but he supposed he made good timing.

Crawling over to the stream, he scooped up some water, receiving a surprise when he did so. Rather than getting a handful of water, he got one large drop. It was rather weird, like holding an extra fragile water balloon. He stared at it a moment before bringing it to his lips and sucking it up. It was very refreshing.

Scooping up another drop, he pressed it against his face. The drop broke apart upon contact. Yes, it was like a water balloon. He grabbed a third and pulled it apart. It easily broke apart, leaving him with two smaller drops, one in each hand. He rubbed it over his arms, trying to cool off. It was almost like getting a sponge bath. Was this how borrowers bathed, or did they completely submerge themselves in small bodies of water?

"I guess I'll figure things out as I go along."

He took another drink and then sat back, looking at the rushing water. He thought about the memorial tree the fortuneteller said Arrietty and her family lived in. He remembered that there was a creek close to the tree. He had no idea where it originated from or what it was connected too. Could it be possible that this stream connected to it? If so, he could just ride down the stream until he got there.

Then again. What if it didn't connect? He might end up going out of his way.

Shō looked around for something he could climb up. His eyes settled on the fence post sticking out of the ground a few feet away; the very one Arrietty had climbed up so she was level with him when they said their goodbyes.

"That's ironic." He muttered, making his way over to the post.

After climbing to the top, he looked towards the stream. He got a pretty good view from up here. He couldn't see where the stream went to, but it did go in the direction of the park. Even if it didn't connect to the creek by Arrietty's house, at least it would bring him in the right direction. He'd cover a lot of ground in a much shorter time than he would walking, and he wouldn't tire himself out.

Climbing down, he walked over to wear he left his rope. In comparison to his size, he estimated that he had about 40 feet of rope. Maybe less. He would just have to make do with what he had. With that, he began his search. He began gathering sticks, which were practically large branches to him now. When he decided he had enough, he laid them all side by side on top of the rope. Taking hold of the two ends that were not beneath the sticks, he tied them together.

It took some time, but when he was finished, he stepped back to observe his handiwork. With the one rope, he had to tie it together in the middle of the 'raft'. He wished he had a second one so he could tie it together at both ends. He looked around, hoping to perhaps use blades of grass. After plucking a few thick blades, he did his best to better secure his raft together. He considered using the rubber band to hold the raft together, but decided against it since he didn't want to risk stretching it too far and snapping it.

When he was finished, he tried to determine if the raft would float. It wasn't put together all that well, put it looked like it would hold, as long as he didn't run into any rough water. He just hoped it would hold his weight and remain afloat.

"I hope this works."

He pushed his little raft down towards the stream and to the water. He wadded into the shallowest part, dragging the raft in with him, then climbed on top. It sunk a little bit under his weight, but so far it was floating, and the moving water began to push the raft down the stream.

Once on top, he brushed remaining drops of water off his lower body. It seemed as if he was now too small for the water to cling to him enough for him to stay wet, leaving only several drops of water stuck to him.

Once he was 'dry', he laid down on the raft as it flowed down the stream. It wasn't that big, but it was large enough for him to stretch out on. It would take a while for him to reach his destination, or at least get as close to his destination as the stream would allow. He decided that since he had time, he should take a nap to build up his strength again. Maybe he'd be able to continue his journey into the night if he got some sleep now.

Covering himself with a leaf to hide him from view, he tried to get as comfortable as possible. This was not an easy thing to do since the raft was very uncomfortable to lay down on. His back would probably be killing him when he got up since the ridges were digging into him.

"Guess it can't be helped." He muttered, closing his eyes.

Just as he was about to drift off to sleep, he heard a splash. Looking over the side of the raft, he saw a trout. To him, it was the size of a school bus. The color drained from his face as the theme to  _Jaws_  suddenly got stuck in his head.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"Arrietty, which type of flower do you want for your bouquet?" Homily asked. "I had a simple buttercup at my wedding, but I think you should have something even prettier."

Arrietty shrugged. "It doesn't have to be pretty. I was thinking of just using the traditional dandelion."

Homily's smile lessened a bit. "Dandelions haven't been used for a quite some time; not since we borrowers were much greater in number."

Arrietty knew this. In old times, the bride would carry a white puffy dandelion as a bouquet. Rather than throwing it, as the beans did, the bride would blow the seeds from a the unbloomed flower into the audience. Just as beans believed that whoever caught the bouquet would be the next to marry, the borrowers believed that whoever caught the most seeds would gain that privilege.

Of course, these days, no one really believed such superstitions, but it was still done for the sake of tradition. At least it had been until the borrower race dwindled to such extents that only direct family now attended the ceremony, in which case any flower was considered a suitable bouquet.

She pushed these thoughts aside. Thinking about how few borrowers there were in the world was depressing. Her people had become so good at hiding that they eventually hid from each other, allowing their numbers to become fewer and fewer until they were nearly extinct. And all because her people were so afraid of the world.

Ironically, it was that very fear that had created borrowers to begin with. Her ancestors had been so scared all the time that they constantly hid themselves away from the world, each generation getting smaller and smaller until they were the way they were now. At least, that's what she had been told by her parents when they explained the history of borrowers.

Now it seemed as if the borrower race would soon disappear completely. They could try and increase their numbers as much as they wanted, but they would most likely go extinct in a few generations, regardless of what they did.

It was because of this that she was now planning for her unwanted wedding. Arrietty knew she had a duty to her people, to help them preserve their numbers for as long as possible, and she accepted that.

"We'll be able to make your veil out of tissues," Homily continued, "but we'll need to borrow some from the beans. As for the dress itself, we'll be able to… to…"

Tears appeared in her eyes and she wiped them away, sniffling. Arrietty looked at her mother in concern. "Mama, what's wrong? Why are you crying? Are you ok?"

Homily gave her a smile through her tears. "Oh, yes, I just can't believe my baby is going to get married. I can't believe the day is finally here. It's the happiest day of a woman's life, second only to the day her children are born. Speaking of which, how many children do you and Spiller plan on having?"

Arrietty blushed. "Oh… um, well, I was thinking maybe two or three."

Homily frowned. "Only three? You should think of having more. We need to preserve the borrower race."

Arrietty crossed her arms. "Then why don't I have any siblings?"

Her mother shifted uncomfortably. "Well, you're father and I feared that having too many children would risk exposing us. But we don't really need to worry that much about exposure here; we're not sharing a residence with any beans like we were before."

Arrietty groaned. Borrower race this, borrower race that. She was willing to do her duty to her people, but she wanted to make decision of how to live her life.

"Arrie!"

The two borrowers turned to the sound of the voice. It seemed as if Spiller had returned.

"We're in here!" she called down to him.

A few moments later, Spiller entered the room with a large pink worm draped over his shoulder. "Spiller bring lunch." He said, holding up the worm.

"Oh…" Homily muttered. "Well, I suppose I could eat a worm if it's prepared properly. I still can't bring myself to eat an insect."

"It's also disrespectful to Potato." Arrietty added, thinking about her pet.

Dropping the worm, Spiller gave Arrietty a smile. "Arrie, Spiller have surprise for you. Close eyes."

Arrietty frowned. Was this surprise the wedding gift he said he was going to find for her? She hoped it wasn't anything too extravagant; she felt guilty enough for having to lead him on as it is.

All the same, she covered her eyes. A few moments of silence passed, and she heard her mother say, "Oh!"

"Open eyes." Spiller told her.

Arrietty lowered her hands and opened her eyes. Spiller was holding a wristwatch. It was a simple watch with the face of a clock, the three hands ticking quietly. The straps were removed, probably by Spiller, leaving just the actual watch part.

"Spiller find on ground." He told her. "Arrie can hang on wall so not need to go outside and look at clock to see time."

Homily clapped her hands together. "That's an excellent gift, Spiller. Now we don't need to worry about getting seen by accident when we check the time."

This was actually a large weight off her shoulders. The park gates were always locked at 9:00, making it safe for them to go out until they reopened in the morning. But having no way to know what time it was other than by looking at the clock in the recreation center, they had to guess how late it was before confirming what time it actually was. If they came out before the gates were actually locked, they would run the risk of being seen.

Arrietty frowned as she looked up into Spiller's smiling face. She forced her own smile and accepted the gist. "Thank you, Spiller, I love it."

The watch was the size of a beach ball to her, but it wasn't heavy. How had Spiller managed to get something like this? Borrowing such things was risking since beans tended to notice when they went missing. But Spiller wasn't careless about borrowing. A bean must have lost it at some point. Spiller had said that he found it on the ground.

It was a great gift, but why did he have did he have to get it for her. Now she felt even more guilty. Spiller should be giving such a gift to someone who loved him the same way he loved her, not to someone who saw him as a brother. Why couldn't she just return his feelings?

' _I really am a horrible person.'_

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

He didn't know how long he slept before the sound of laughter woke Shō from his nap. He forgot where he was for a moment and pushed the leaf off his raft, and it was swept away by the running water. He inched too close to the side, and the raft almost capsized, the sudden jolt waking him up completely.

"Oh, right, I'm rafting." He muttered.

Staying in the middle of the raft, he cracked his aching back. Yes, sleeping on a pile of sticks had left a kink in his back, just as he suspected. He rubbed down the aching area, trying to regain the feeling. If he ever made a raft like this again, he would have to remember to lay down some leaves on top of it so the ridges wouldn't dig into his back.

That's when he realized that the leaf he had been using for cover was gone. He saw it floating a short distance away, well out of reach.

"There goes my cover."

He looked around to make sure he wasn't where anyone could see him. His heart sank as he saw what had originally woke him. The water wasn't deep, only a couple of inches, and a child, a little girl of about three or four was playing in it, laughing and splashing around. And the current was leading him straight towards her.

"Oh no, no, no, no."

The little girl didn't even see him. She was too busy splashing water everywhere. A short distance away, the girl's mother and father sat under the shade of a tree, watching their daughter as they enjoyed a picnic.

Shō remained perfectly still as his raft drifted closer and closer. Maybe if he was perfectly quiet and didn't move then the girl wouldn't even notice him. From the speed of the current, once he drifted by her, she wouldn't be able to catch him even if she did spot him.

Unfortunately, luck wasn't on his side. As he began to float past the girl, her happy playful expression turned to one of interest as she noticed him. She didn't react at first, but simply looked at him as the raft drifted past her. Then her expression changed to a happy one again as she reached for him.

"No, no, go away!" Shō cried, kicking out at her reaching hand. This only served to aid the girl as her fingers closed around his leg and she lifted him in the air. "Hey, put me down!"

"Dolly!" the girl exclaimed happily.

"I'm not a doll!" Shō shouted. Or perhaps he  _should_  pretend to be a doll. No, if the girl were older, then pretending to be a doll might work. But at her age, whether he was alive or a doll probably wouldn't make a difference to her; she just wanted to play with him.

"Dolly!" the girl cried again, shaking him like a rattle.

Shō felt like he was going to be sick. He really wished she would stop shaking him around like that, otherwise he was going to throw up. But the girl suddenly dunked him underwater, brought him back out, then dunked him again, holding him under. This may have been all fun and games to her, but Shō was far from finding any enjoyment out of this. And if she didn't bring him up soon, he was going to drown.

But the girl never left him under for that long, though she once again proceeded to shake him. Shō just hoped that she wouldn't squeeze his guts out or decide to throw him.

"Candy." The girl said suddenly, and reached for the candy wrapper Shō was using for clothes.

Shō smacked her hand as she tried to pull the wrapper off. "No, there's no candy. It's just the wrapper. Don't touch me."

As the girl plucked at the wrapper, Shō stretched the rubber band around his waist so the girl's finger's slipped underneath it, then let go. The rubber band snapped against the girl's finger.

"Owie!" the girl cried.

Shō felt bad about hurting the girl, however minor it was, but at least it stopped her from attempted to remove his 'clothes'.

"Mommy!" the girl cried, rushing over to her mother and father, with Shō still in her grip.

"What's wrong Miyako?" the mother asked.

"Owie." The girl, Miyako, whined, holding up her finger.

"Oh, did you hurt your finger?"

"Kissy?" Miyako asked.

The mother took her daughter's hand. "Yes, mommy will kiss it to make it better." She pressed a kiss to the girl's small finger.

The father chuckled. "We about ready to head back?"

"I think so." The mother said, gathering her daughter in her arms.

Shō remained perfectly still as Miyako held onto him. Now he had to pretend to be a doll. The girl may know that he was alive, but no one would believe her.

Miyako's parents cleaned up their picnic and headed towards their car. Miyako kept a firm grip on Shō as her mother placed her in her car seat.

' _This can't be happening.'_  Shō thought dreadfully.  _'This is very, very bad.'_

But there was nothing he could do while in Miyako's grip. Her parents got into the car and started it up. Shō prayed that wherever they lived wasn't out of his way. Maybe, if he was lucky, they would even bring him closer to the park. But as Miyako waved him around in the air, he saw out the window that they were going in the very opposite direction he wanted to go in.

' _This can not get any worse.'_  He thought.

That's when Miyako brought Shō up to her mouth, opening it wide. Shō shut his eyes as he prepared for the worst. Like any child would with a toy, Miyako began gently gnawing and sucking on him, giving him a bath in her drool.

' _I stand corrected.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Poor Shō, things aren't going so well for him. Not only is he caught, but now he's being brought out of his way. Not to mention he got a rather unpleasant 'bath' at the end there. I love kids, but I wish they weren't so icky. Anyway, I tried being a bit creative with the borrowers race, like the idea for the bouquet. The part where Shō was playing into the water was something I was brainstorming when I considered his size. Remember how in the movie when Arrietty got wet, she simply brushed the drops of water off. As for that explanation for how borrowers came to be, I remember reading that in the original "Borrowers" novel, at least that's what was believed in the novel. Anyway, leave me some feedback, and I'll return with a new chapter soon.)


	6. Thrown Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Happy Easter everyone. Well, not quite yet, that's tomorrow. Just saying it in advance. But you don't want to hear me talk, you want to read the next chapter. Well, don't let me stop you.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 6: Thrown Out**

Shō was so glad that the car ride was over. Now he just wished Miyako would stop chewing on him. He was sure that his ribs must be bruised by now. At least she wasn't biting down hard enough to crush him. But he was feeling in  _very_  much need of a bath, and not the one that Miyako was giving in.

Covered in drool, Shō was finally pulled out of the little girl's mouth as Miyako reached for her mother to take her out of the car seat. Saliva clung to him, making him feel like a wet sticky mess. Why did little kids always feel the need to stick small things that in their mouths? Did he do that when he was little? He didn't remember, but he probably did. When he and Arrietty had kids, he would have to teach them not to put things in their mouths.

That is,  _if_  he managed to reach her in time. If he was going to be a borrower, then he would have to fulfill the same duty Arrietty was; preserving the borrower race. Not that that was a problem. Shō liked kids, just not when they were the 100 feet tall; at least that's how big Miyako appeared to be to him.

But before he could think of that, he had to complete his journey and meet up with Arrietty. After that, it would be up to her to decide if they would have a future together. If she really felt the same way he did, like the fortuneteller said, then they would be able to be together.

That's when a thought struck him. What if the fortuneteller had been wrong? What if Arrietty actually didn't return his feelings? Maybe the fortuneteller had just been telling him what he wanted to hear so he would accept the deal? She really could perform magic, Shō knew that first hand, but what if he had just been another victim to a scam? He would have to pay her regardless of the outcome of the journey, so that wouldn't really matter to the fortuneteller.

Arrietty's happiness was one of the biggest, perhaps the biggest reason he was doing this. He was certain of his own feelings; he loved Arrietty, he had for years, but if Arrietty was happy with her life now, he didn't want to interfere. If she didn't return his feelings, if his love was only one-sided, then he would walk away, no matter how hard it would be. He had undergone this journey for her, because the fortuneteller told him that she wasn't happy, and he sought to change that. The fact that he would get to be with the one he loved was a very nice added benefit. But the possibility still existed that the fortuneteller was just leading him on.

Shō pushed these thoughts aside. As long as there was still hope, even if the odds were against him, he would push onward. He had learned that even a glimmer of hope was enough. Back before he had his operation, he knew that his chance of surviving was very low. There was a chance he would survive, but he had already resigned himself to death. Arrietty had made him see otherwise. She had showed him that even that small amount of hope was enough, and in the end, it was. Maybe that's when and why he had fallen for her, because she gave him hope for life.

It was the same as it was back then. Then odds of reaching Arrietty in time weren't in his favor, and there was a chance that she didn't return his feelings and would have been happier to have simply been left alone, but as long as there was a chance, as long as there was hope, Shō would not give up. Learning to never giving up was the gift she had given to him all those years ago.

Shō's was pulled out of his thoughts as a large hand closed around him, pulling him out of Miyako's grip. It seemed as if the girl's mother had overlooked him when she placed her daughter in the car, but now she finally noticed him.

"Miyako, what's this?" her mother asked.

"Dolly." The girl replied happily.

"Did you pick this up off the ground?"

"Boat!"

Her mother raised an eyebrow, not sure what she meant, but it was obvious that her daughter had found it while they were on their picnic. "That's dirty. You know not to pick stuff up off the ground."

"Mine!" Miyako declared; how very much like a child.

"You have plenty of dolls." Her mother told her. "You don't know where this has been."

"Mine! Mine!"

"I said no." her mother told her firmly.

She stepped on a lever and the lid to the wastebasket opened. Dropping Shō into the garbage, she closed the lid again. Miyako began to cry, upset because her new toy was taken from her.

"Come on," said her mother, scooping her daughter up, "you need a nap."

"No nap!" Miyako cried. "Dolly! Dolly! Want dolly!"

Her mother sighed as she carried her daughter away. They'd been through this routine before. She put the girl to bed, Miyako would cry for about 10 minutes, then fall asleep, and when she woke up, she'll have completely forgotten about the doll she had been throwing a tantrum over.

Shō on the other hand, was just as unhappy as Miyako. This was twice in one day that he ended up in a garbage can. Why was fate being so cruel to him? What did he do to deserve this? But then again, perhaps fate wasn't being cruel. He did get this opportunity granted to him. This was just a minor setback. But how was he supposed to get out of here.

Pushing giant pieces of trash aside, Shō saw that fate wasn't entirely cruel. The garbage can had a plastic bag covering it, allowing whoever emptied it to just pull it out and replace a new one rather than emptying out the entire can. Once the cost was clear, he could climb up the bag and get out. Hopefully the lid wouldn't be too heavy and he would be able to lift it enough to slip out.

He waited a few minutes, not hearing anyone moving around after a while. Feeling it was safe, he grabbed hold of the bag and began climbing. It wasn't easy; his legs had nowhere to step down on. He had to rely on his upper body strength to climb. But he eventually made it to the top.

The lid covered the rim of the can enough for him to get a grip on the ledge. Holding on, he pushed up on the lid with his other hand. It was heavier than he thought it would be, made even harder to lift with only one hand, but slowly the top began to rise. Light crept up from underneath the lid as he lifted it higher, finally managing to get his hands underneath. He was eventually able to lift it enough for him to crawl through the opening, but something stopped him.

As he began to slip out, he was greeted by a large furry face and a wet black nose. The giant beast was looking right at him, its face level with the garbage can. The beast opened its mouth and barked loudly at him.

Crying out in surprise, Shō jumped back. He lost his grip and fell back down in the pile of garbage. "You've got to be kidding me!" he cried.

Apparently, Miyako's family had a dog.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Arrietty had finally managed to escape her mother. Planning a wedding was very stressful. Planning an unwanted wedding was even more so. For hours, she had listened to her mother going through a list of things needed for the ceremony, constantly asking Arrietty's opinion. She needed a break to get some alone time where she could think.

She found solitude in one of the many rooms of carved into the tree. She sat on a little couch beside a very old-fashioned music box. This was the type that only played one song. She turned the crank, making the large metal cylinder spin. Spikes on the cylinder brushed against metal planks that emitted sounds when they were struck, creating a form of music. Arrietty didn't know what song it was, but it had an eerily haunting melody. The song was still soothing, but it got tiring to turn the crank after a while. Well, it was designed for beans. All they needed were two fingers while she had to use both hands. But it was an ingenious little device, though nothing compared to the types of inventions beans had come up with over the years.

' _Beans are amazing creatures.'_  She thought as she continued to 'play' the music. How on earth had they come up with such things? Life sure was convenient for them. They had machines and stuff to do everything for them. Borrowers on the other hand had to work hard all the time. They didn't have the luxuries of such things like cars, computers, microwaves, or anything like that. They could improvise and make things similar, but nothing that required power or electricity.

Except for that kitchen, the one Shō had given to them. That had all the workings of a bean's kitchen. And it had been beautiful, so wonderfully designed. The detail was amazing. Shō's family had spared no expense in creating it, and it had been made especially for them. It was just too bad her parents were so fearful that they had to leave such a great gift behind.

But Arrietty was happy with the way her life was. Yes, they had to work hard, but it gave her a sense of fulfillment. As nice and luxurious as the kitchen and all its workings had been, she enjoyed working hard rather than having the things in life handed to her. Not that she hadn't been grateful to Shō for his act of kindness though. Had they stayed in their old home and kept the kitchen, it certainly would have made things easier and more convenient, but life felt more meaningful when she had to work to get the things she wanted.

Her thoughts turned to Shō and her heart ached. She wondered how he was doing. She really missed him and wanted to see him, though she knew that was impossible. She at least hoped he was happy and finally able to enjoy life. He had been sick his whole life, never able to actually go out and live. Everyone had been so concerned for him and his health that he was never able to do anything on his own. She wondered if he shared her thoughts on life now. Did he enjoy actually having to work hard and do things on his own now that he was finally able to, or was he like most beans and was content to let technology do everything for him?

It didn't seem like much of a life to have everything be done for you. Shō would most likely want to be independent and do things for himself now that he was able to. Well, good for him. But however he decided to live his life, she just hoped he would be happy.

Her arms were getting tired, so she stopped turning the crank. She rolled her shoulders, trying to remove the ache that had built up in her joints. That's when she heard clapping. She turned around to find Spiller standing in the doorway watching her.

She gave him a smile. "Were you listening to me play?"

He nodded. "You play good."

She chuckled. "No, I'm not really playing. The song is already there. I'm just providing the movement needed for it to play."

"I try?"

She scooted over on the couch, motioning for him to sit. "Go ahead."

Like an excited child, Spiller sat down and grabbed the crank. Being much stronger than she was, he turned the crank at a rapid pace, making the song play to a much faster tune. The song was short, having only a limited number of spikes on the wheel, and Spiller went through it quickly.

"Fun." He declared when he finished.

"Yes," Arrietty agreed, "but it's too bad it only plays one song."

"Spin backwards?" Spiller suggested.

"I tried that. I guess technically it's a song, but it sounds… off."

Spiller blinked. He tried turning the crank backwards. The song played in reverse, and it certainly sounded unusual, but Spiller had understood Arrietty's explanation as "off" differently than how she had meant.

"No, it still on."

She chuckled. Spiller's child-like personality was really adorable. It seemed as if she and her parents would have to be the ones to educate their children; Spiller was still too wild.

This brought a frown to her face as she thought about the future. In a few days, the wedding preparations would be done, and she and Spiller would be married. What would become of their relationship? They wouldn't be able to go back to the way things were before. They'd be husband and wife, and will have to be… intimate. A wave of wrongness went through her at the thought. That's just how it felt, wrong.

She wished things could stay the way they were. Not necessarily the marriage part; she would love to get married to someone she truly loved and who loved her.

' _Shō.'_  The name flashed through her mind.

But Shō wasn't the only reason. She wished she and Spiller could keep the friendly brother-sister type relationship they now had. She understood her duty to her people, but it seemed so unfair to both her and Spiller. She couldn't help but feel that she was leading Spiller on by pretending that she was ok with this, let alone wanting it. It felt like a betrayal of sorts. They would be living a lie, one under false pretenses of a love they didn't share. Not only did she feel sorry for herself, but she felt sorry for Spiller.

As Arrietty got lost in her thoughts, Spiller watched her curiously. He sensed a change in her mood. She seemed sad right now. There was sorrow in her eyes, and what looked to be pity.

Spiller frowned. He knew this wedding had been unexpected for her. Perhaps he hadn't handled the situation properly. He had wanted to be considerate of her parents, which was why he had asked for their blessings before asking her. They had been the ones to insist on breaking the news to their daughter, and he had agreed, thinking that they knew what was best. After all, they already were married.

But now he was thinking that maybe that hadn't been the right thing to do. Perhaps he should have expressed his desires to her first, and then given her time to get used to the idea before making it final. Truthfully, he hadn't even thought that far ahead. Spiller had a tendency to live in the here and now. He wasn't one to plan too far ahead into the future. Things just seemed simpler that way. Planning ahead just seemed to cause too much worry. Get food when you're hungry, find a place to sleep when you're tired, find shelter when it got cold; that was how he had lived all his life.

In this case, he hadn't thought beyond getting permission from Pod and Homily to marry their daughter. If they had said no, that would have been the end of it, so there had been no need to think beyond that. If they said yes, then he could decide what to do after that. At least that had been his intention, but the two borrowers had asked to decide what to do next, and he had let them. Seeing no harm in it, he had respected their wishes.

Now he could see the errors of his ways. Arrietty had been unprepared, and now she was having trouble adjusting. That was the only conclusion he could come to. He knew he loved Arrietty, he had for years, and she had said that she loved him, so he assumed it was the suddenness that this had happen. That and what Homily said was "cold feet". That didn't make sense to him though. What did a wedding have to do with one's feet getting cold? She didn't need to take her socks and shoes off during the ceremony.

Pod had told him that she was probably just nervous. Now  _that_  Spiller could understand. He was nervous too. He and Arrietty would officially be starting a life and a family together. They were committing themselves to each other. This was a big step in their lives. Together forever, that's what it meant, so it was ok to have doubts. He had them himself, though he was certain that he wanted nothing more than to be Arrietty's husband and to make her happy.

He sat next to her on the couch. He wanted to comfort her, make her worries go away. Maybe if she got more used to how things would be once they were wed, she wouldn't be so nervous anymore.

"Arrie." He said quietly. She blinked, coming out of her thoughts, and looked up at him. "Can… can Spiller kiss you?"

The young girl turned beet red. "Wha…? K-K-Kiss? Well, I, uh, I…"

She hesitated, unsure. She and Spiller had shared a few chaste kisses before, but it was strictly platonic, like good friends or family members would. She knew what he was asking. He was asking to  _really_  kiss her, the way couples would. The thought was embarrassing, and somewhat mortifying. She couldn't imagine kissing her father or mother in  _that_  way, and Spiller was like her brother. It felt the same to her. Family did not kiss family like that.

But she couldn't think that way anymore. She and Spiller were to be married. There'd be a whole lot more than kissing going on between them. She would have to get used to it. She might as well start now. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as she thought it would be. Maybe there would be a hidden spark in there that would come out if they  _really_  kissed.

"Um, I guess that'll be ok…" she muttered, blushing furiously.

The wave of wrongness hit her again, but she tried to ignore the feeling as she turned to face him. She'd seen her parents kiss, and knew that it was a different kind of kiss than what she was used to, but she felt very unsure of herself. She settled for squeezing her eyes shut tightly and puckering her lips. Then she waited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: It looks like the relationship between Spiller and Arrietty is changing, or at least Spiller is trying to change it. Poor Arrietty, forcing herself like this, but she's just trying to adjust to her situation. And Shō, his luck his just getting worse and worse. Now not only has he been brought out of his way, but now he's trapped by the family pet, and in a very unappealing place too. See where things turn from here. You won't want to miss the interaction between Arrietty and Spiller next chapter.)


	7. Kisses and Borrowings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ! I've got something to say before this chapter begins. It seems that some people have been copying some of my stories and posting them on different sites, claiming that they wrote them. So far it's only been my "Spirited Away" story that has been copied, but after doing an Internet search, I found my story copied by four different people. People, if you want to pot any of my stories anywhere else, you MUST provide credit to me and include a link to my original story and my profile. If you cannot abide by these rules, then please do not post my stories anywhere else, and ESPECIALLY do not take credit for them. Doing so is very disrespectful and upsetting, and if you're caught doing it will most likely end up in getting your account deleted, as was the case with the person taking credit for my story, the other three are being warned of my conditions, but appropriate action will be taken if they do not follow my rules. Again, if you follow my conditions, I have no problem with anyone posting my story elsewhere, if not, please do not do so. Thank you.
> 
> Now then, we last left off with Spiller and Arrietty about to kiss. Lets see how that goes.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 7: Kisses and Borrowings**

The first thing she felt was Spiller's large callused hand on her face as he cupped her cheek. She waited for him to make the next move. She could feel his body heat, indicating how close he was. She resisted the urge to pull away; instead she gripped a handful of her dress tightly.

Then she felt Spiller's lips on her own as he kissed her. It wasn't the type of kiss family or friends would exchange. It was a kiss reserved for lovers. She tried her best to respond to him, and found her lips moving against his own, but she refused to allow him access when his tongue brushed against her lips.

She wasn't sure how long it lasted, but he eventually pulled away. She waited for something to happen, some sort of emotion to set it. But she felt nothing. Absolutely nothing. No excitement, no emotion, no love. No, nothing.

Well, maybe not nothing. What she did feel was a great discomfort. She didn't like the feeling. It was like sharing a romantic kiss with a stranger. It was foreign to her, as if it shouldn't have happened, and it made her feel uncomfortable.

There was also a feeling of betrayal. For what? For her impossible love for a bean she had known for a short time six years ago? She had to push those thoughts out of her mind. She was getting married to Spiller. And even if she wasn't, her love had zero chance for success. She was a fool.

"Arrie, you ok?"

She blinked and looked up at his hopeful face. "Oh, yes, I'm fine. That was… interesting."

She gave him as fake smile, hoping it looked genuine. At least she hadn't felt complete disgust or revulsion. That would have been harder to deal with. She supposed she could live with feeling uncomfortable during intimacy.

She felt his hand on her cheek again, turning her towards him. He leaned in and Arrietty shut her eyes, ready to be kissed again. His lips pressed against her own. He wasn't rough or demanding, he was being very gently, as if he was afraid he would hurt her. She kissed him back, trying to ignore the disturbing fact that this was Spiller that she was kissing. She tried to not think at all, letting her mind wander as her lips moved against his.

When Spiller broke the kiss and pulled back slightly, a single word passed Arrietty's. "Shō…"

She hadn't even realized she said it, and it was almost inaudible. But Spiller heard. He leaned back and looked at her. Her eyes remained closed and she had a faraway look on her face. Spiller reached up and rubbed his thumbs across her cheeks. They were wet with tears. This surprised her. When had she started crying? She hadn't even noticed until Spiller wiped them away.

Spiller frowned. He hated seeing her upset like this. "Arrie…" She opened her eyes, looking up at his sympathetic face. He gave her a kind smile, though it was plan that he felt sad for her. "Don't be sad, Arrie. I no like see you cry." He stood up and patted her on the shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting manner. "Spiller will make you happy. You see, Spiller will make Arrie smile."

Without waiting for a reply, he walked out of the room. A scowl crossed his face as he walked down the hall. He was angry. Not at her, not at anything really. He was just angry in general. He  _hated_  seeing Arrietty upset. He wished he could just make her pain go away, but he didn't know how. What more could he do to take away her pain? Not even her parents were able to lift her spirits when she got like this.

He knew where her sadness stemmed from. It was that bean, and she didn't need to whisper his name for him to know that. He watched her over the years; he saw the look of longing in her eyes. She thought about him often. He knew when she was thinking about him, as did her parents. He, like them, had thought that it was just a phase, and she would get over it eventually, but it hadn't. If anything, it had gotten worse. Her feelings for the bean had been one of the reasons why he hadn't pursued her sooner.

He still remembered when he had seen him six years ago. He had been about to take Arrietty and her parents away in his boat when she had suddenly run off. Worried, he had gone looking for her. To his horror, he had found her talking to the bean. Spiller had thought that she was in trouble and had prepared to shoot an arrow at the bean. Not that his little arrows would have done much to someone so big.

But it soon became apparent that the bean was no threat to her. They even seemed to know each other and be friends. Realizing that she wasn't in danger, Spiller had left her alone to say goodbye to her friend. She had joined him and her parents shortly after. Spiller hadn't thought much on it at the time. He thought that the bean was out of their lives, but Arrietty spoke of him often. She always seemed so happy when she did, but always became sad afterwards.

Spiller may be naïve, but he wasn't stupid. He'd eventually figured out Arrietty's feelings. At first he had denied it, certain that he had made a mistake, but over time it became obvious. Pod and Homily had realized it as well, but there was nothing any of them could do about it.

Spiller didn't hate the bean. He wasn't even jealous since whatever love Arrietty felt for him was impossible. The only resentment Spiller had towards him was that he made Arrietty sad. It wasn't even the bean's fault, but Arrietty was still sad because of him. The bean was the source of her pain, and Spiller hated seeing Arrietty in pain.

But he wouldn't let Arrietty be in pain any longer. He would do everything he could to make her happy. He'd make sure that she'd never be sad again.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Shō yawned. He was dead tired, and dead bored. Being stuck in the garbage all day was far from fun. He was at least glad that it hadn't smelled too bad. He'd even found food; a mostly eaten apple. It wasn't exactly sanitary, but it was all he had.

Thinking that he had waited long enough, he began climbing up the bag again. He'd lost track of how many times he'd climbed it. After a certain amount of time, he had climbed up to see if the dog had gone, but it was always right there, either sitting or laying down by the garbage can, its head immediately snapping up when he lifted the lid. It had found an intruder, and it was not going to let him get away.

Shō had hoped that the dog would get board and leave, but it just stayed put. Didn't its owners ever take it out to use the bathroom? Maybe they did and he had just missed the opportunity. That'd just be his luck.

Lifting the lid, he saw to his immense relief that even though the dog was still there, it was asleep. And no wonder. Catching sight of the clock hanging on the wall, he saw that it was now two in the morning. He'd wasted an entire day and part of the night stuck in here.

Well, at least he could finally leave. But as he squeezed through, Arrietty's hairclip got caught under the lid. The rubber band snapped out of its grip, and the hairclip fell back into the garbage.

"No!" Shō exclaimed, his hand instantly going to his mouth to muffle his cry. He glanced at the dog, afraid he may have woken it, but it slept on.

Shō sighed, but his relief was short-lived. He'd lost Arrietty's hairclip. Well, he hadn't really lost it, but it would be a hassle to climb back down to get it, then climb all the way back up. Climbing a rock wall at an amusement park was easier than climbing up the garbage bag.

But there was no way he was leaving her hairclip. That small, seemingly insignificant object had great sentimental value to him. It was a keepsake from the girl he loved, and he would not leave it behind.

Groaning in frustration, Shō squeezed through the lid again and dropped back into the garbage; he was really getting sick of being in the trash. After digging around for a while, he finally found it, and once again clipped it onto the rubber band around his waist before going up the garbage bag again.

The dog slept on, so Shō made his escape, this time being careful not to lose the hairclip. He ran into a bit of a dilemma though when he realize he had no way to get down. For someone his size, the drop from where he was looked to be about 25 to 30 feet. Perhaps he should go back inside the garbage and see if he could find anything to help him get down.

' _Forget that.'_  He decided. He'd had enough of climbing through trash. Besides, he may not find anything useful. And even if he did, he wouldn't be able to put it back in the garbage can once he was done with it.

Bracing himself, he let go of the bag and dropped to the floor. He landed hard on his feet and fell over. A painful groan escaped him as he landed on his tailbone. Now  _that_  really hurt. Maybe dropping down hadn't been the best idea. He didn't damage himself, but he would definitely be sore for a few days.

He glanced at the dog again, afraid the sound of him hitting the floor had woken it up; dogs had very good hearing after all. One of the dog's floppy ears twitched and its tongue ran over its lips, but other than that, it kept sleeping.

Shō wobbled to his feet. Now he just had to figure out how to get out of here. And it seemed that luck was on his side for once. He could see the front door from here, and it had a little dog door. He could easily slip through that. Then he'd be on his way once again.

But as he made his way towards the door, he saw at the other end of the hall what appeared to be Miyako's playroom. A large dollhouse was on the floor, with several dolls of different sizes lying around it.

Shō looked down at the candy wrapper he was wearing, then back at the dollhouse. Maybe he could get some decent clothes from there; he definitely didn't want to continue running around like this. But should he risk it? He knew that the importance of borrowing was to only take things that wouldn't be missed. Would a few missing clothes from a dollhouse go by unnoticed?

He figured that it would probably be safe. Miyako was too young to notice something like a few articles of her dolls' clothing missing. Besides, changing clothes on a doll was very common. So even on the off chance that her parents happened to notice that some clothes were missing, they would probably assume that their daughter lost them, and with as messy as the playroom looked, that was certainly believable. Or maybe they would think that the dog got to them.

Speaking of the dog, Shō glanced at it again. Should he chance slipping by it? If it woke up, he would be in trouble.

He decided to go for it. Being a borrower meant sometimes taking risks. Besides, didn't Arrietty always have to sneak around his aunt's cat when she was still living in the house? If she could sneak around like that, then so could he.

Being as quiet as possible, he crept past the dog. It showed no signs of waking, and once he was a good distance away, he made a run for it. He got to the dollhouse without any problems, but ran into a problem when he got there. These dolls were too big, meaning their clothes were too. They were nearly twice his size.

But these dolls were adults. Perhaps there were some children lying around. After looking around for a bit, he was relieved to see that there were. But even they were still a bit big for him. He just decided that he would have to make do.

His fortunes increased when he saw a box turned over on its side a short distance away, spilling out its contents. Apparently, this was where Miyako kept all the clothes for her dolls. He wouldn't even need to strip the plastic figurines.

He rummaged around for about ten minutes before finding clothes that were closest to his size. Both the shirt and pants were baggy on him. He merely rolled up the sleeves and legs on the shirt and pants, but that still left him with the lack of a belt, and the pants were too big to stay up on their own. He compensated this by using the rubber band as one, just as he had with the candy wrapper, once again attaching Arrietty's hairclip to it.

He even found socks and shoes he could wear. Of course, the socks were too big, as were the shoes. The latter were also made of plastic and couldn't be tied, but he slipped them on anyway. The large shoes flopped around as he walked, but it was better than going around barefoot.

That just left the candy wrapper. What was he going to do with it? There was no way he could get it in the garbage can again, taking it with him would just be a hassle, and it would probably be discovered if he just left it here.

"Sorry, Miyako." He muttered, sticking the wrapper in the back of the box of clothes. If her parents found it, they would just think that their daughter had gotten hold of a piece of candy.

He now felt ready to resume his journey, and began making his way towards the dog door. But halfway there, he came to a stop. Something wasn't right. Something was different from when he went down this hall the first time.

The dog! He realized that the dog was no longer where it was before. In fact, it was gone, wandering off to who knows where. When had it woken up? Where did it go? Could he still escape before it came back? Even if he did get out of the house, the dog door would allow it to come out after him.

Before Shō could figure out what to do, he felt a warm gust of wind hit him from behind. Only it wasn't wind; there wasn't any in the house. It was something large breathing behind him.

Slowly he turned, and found the family pet wide-awake, with its face just inches away from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Uh oh, big trouble. It looks like Shō merely got dressed up for his funeral. It also looks like things didn't go bad between Arrietty and Spiller, but they didn't go well either. And just in case I didn't make it clear, Spiller's not resentful of Shō, he just doesn't like the fact that Arrietty is sad because of him. See how things turn out next chapter.)


	8. Phone Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Here's the next chapter. Yes, the title is an "E.T." reference, but so what.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 8: Phone Home**

Shō was frozen in his tracks as the dog stared down at him. Was this the end? Was he going to get eaten by the family pet? He never should have gone for the clothes. Why hadn't he just left when he had the chance? There was no getting away now. He was out in the open with nowhere to hide, and the dog was just inches away.

It barked at him, and Shō flinched. "Nice boy…" he muttered, slowly backing away.

The dog followed, not letting him put distance between the two. It brought its face closer and pushed its big wet nose against Shō's body, sniffing him. Shō remained perfectly still, his eyes shut tightly. When it pulled back, he cracked an eye open. The dog was watching him curiously, as if trying to decide what to do with him. Shō began backing away again, and the dog barked again.

He froze. So far he wasn't dead, and he didn't want to provoke the dog into attacking. It moved closer to him and opened its mouth. Shō shut his eyes again, thinking he was about to be taken in the beast's jaws.

A loud yawn greeted his ears, followed by a warm gust of wind from the dog's mouth. Then the beast laid down and curled up, completely ignoring him.

Shō remain where he was, unable to get his legs moving. The dog just continued to ignore him. Was it just too tired to be bothered with him, or had it been merely curious about who he was and was now no longer bothered by his presence?

He began backing away, going slowly, then began going faster. The dog paid him no mind, not even when he made a run for it. He reached the wall and hid behind a thick curly cord that was hanging down. The dog merely glanced at him, then turned away again.

A sigh of relief escaped Shō, and he found himself sliding down the wall. It seemed he was out of danger. The dog didn't care about him anymore. He took a few moments to calm his racing heart before he decided to get moving again.

Using the cord, Shō climbed to his feet. It was then that he noticed just what the cord was. It was the cord to an old-fashioned telephone. The cord was hanging over the counter.

Shō first thought was to call someone for help, but he immediately dismissed the idea. Who would he call? What would he say? Who would help him, and how? The only person he could think of was his mother, and what would she be able to do for him?

But as Shō's thoughts turned towards his mother, he suddenly realized something that hadn't occurred to him. By having accepted the fortuneteller's deal, and if he was successful on his journey, he would completely disappear from her life. If he did get to stay with Arrietty, his mother will have lost her son. He'd completely vanish without a single explanation.

"I'm an idiot!" he scolded himself. "A selfish idiot!" He hadn't been thinking of how his decision would affect those in his life before he made the deal with the fortuneteller.

He couldn't just disappear. If he did get to stay with Arrietty, he had to at least let his mother know that he was all right.

Not quite sure that what he was doing would work, he began climbing the telephone cord. It was easier than going up the garbage since the curls in the cord provided him with footing. He eventually reached the top and took a moment to catch his breath. Then he made his way over to the phone. He climbed up it and squeezed under the headpiece. Pushing up, he attempted to get the headpiece off the hook.

Little by little, it came off, falling down onto the counter. Shō winced at the sound it made when it fell on the counter. He hoped it hadn't woken Miyako's parents. It disturbed the dog, and it barked a couple of times before settling down again.

After a few seconds, Shō began pushing the giant buttons to call his mother, then hurried over to the headpiece. He heard the phone ringing on the other end, but no one picked up, and eventually the answering machine asked him to relay a message. Shō wasn't surprised that no one picked up; it was after two in the morning after all. No, even later than that now, and the ringing didn't seem to have woken his mother or stepfather.

"Mom, it's Shō!" he said loudly into the receiver. "I've come to an important decision on how to live my life. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you where I am or where I'm going, only that it's at it's what I want. Nothing is set in stone yet, so I am not sure if I'll take this path. If I don't, things will go back to normal and you can completely disregard everything I'm saying. However, if I don't come back, just know that I'm alive and happy. I know you don't understand, and I'm afraid I can't explain it. I'm sorry for dropping this one you all of a sudden, but it was a once in a lifetime opportunity that suddenly fell into my lap, and I had to take it. Just know that if I don't come back, that everything is fine. I want you to know that I love you, and that I really appreciate everything you've done for me, more than you could ever imagine. I hope you're as happy with your life as I am with mine. Thank you for everything. I love you."

He barely finished speaking before the answering machine cut him off. That had been close. He was just glad that he had gotten that all out in time. He had been thinking about what to say to her as he climbed up the cord. It wasn't enough. He couldn't possibly say everything he wanted to in a single message, but it was all he had. He had considered telling his mother about where he was heading and why, but had decided against it. The less people that knew about Arrietty and her family, the better; even if it was his own mother, who already believed in borrowers. He didn't want to scare them off again. Even if he didn't reach his destination in time and returned to his normal size, he would still never visit the little family. He'd made the mistake of interacting with them once before; he wouldn't do it again. He'd be happy with the knowledge that he knew where Arrietty was and that she was close by.

But he wouldn't settle for that, not while he still had a chance. He had to get moving. At the very least, he had to get outside. He didn't want to be in this house when Miyako and her parents woke up.

That's when he realized his mistake. Now that he had the phone off the hook, he had no way of getting it back on. It had been an effort to take it off; he'd never be able to lift it back on.

"I need to think things through more carefully."

He decided that there was nothing he could do about it, so he climbed down the cord. The dog appeared to be asleep again, so he had no trouble there. It was an easy trek towards the front door. And the little dog door was made of plastic rather than wood, allowing him to easily slip through it.

He was finally outside again. He noted that the house was surrounded by a fence. He figured it would be since the dog could enter and exit whenever it wanted. But the fence was barred, meaning he could slip right through it. Had it been a wooden fence, he would have been in trouble.

Walking down the driveway, he made it halfway to the gate before a loud buzzing noise distracted him. A moment later, a mosquito almost half his size latched onto him.

"Hey, what the…?" he cried.

He struggled against the giant insect, managing to throw it off him. He swatted at it, and it backed off, taking flight again. Now that had been an unpleasant surprise. He would have to be more aware of his surroundings. A giant mosquito bite would have been very unpleasant, if he even survived the loss of blood that is. How much did mosquitoes take from each victim anyway? Probably enough to leave him anemic while he was this small.

Being a borrower sure was dangerous. He figured that parents probably taught their kids how to go about the world and be prepared for the dangers they'd face. Shō hadn't had anyone to teach him; he just been thrust into this strange new world with no one to show him the way.

' _Can't worry about that now.'_  He decided, resuming his trek.

He finally made it to the gate, simply walking right through the bars. From the looks of it, Miyako and her parents lived in a cul-de-sac. And Shō had absolutely no idea where he was. To make matters worse, he couldn't see that well at night, making where he was even harder to determine.

"A whole day wasted." He grumbled.

He walked for some time down the street. He wasn't sure for how long, but he had put some distance between himself and Miyako's house, even if he could still see it.

A yawn escaped him. He wondered what time it was. Probably around four. He was dead tired, and had begun to nod off. He needed to find a someplace safe to spend the night, or what was left of it. Wandering around in an unknown area in the dark wasn't doing him much good. Maybe when it was light out again he'd recognize where he was.

In the glow of one of the streetlights, he saw an empty half-crushed can. It was about seven feet away by a human's standards. That would have to do for the night, so Shō sleepily made his way over to it.

Crawling inside, he got himself as comfortable as he could. He was too tired to care about comfort anyway. He just wanted to sleep. He was exhausted and his body was sore from so much activity. Today was most likely the most physically exerting day he'd ever had, even after his operation. But Shō found himself feeling very happy. Yes, today had been frightening and exhausting, not to mention a complete waste of time, but Shō was feeling great. He felt… well, alive!

It was such a switch from his sheltered lifestyle. Back when he was sick, he was never allowed to go anywhere or do anything. He was always stuck inside, having everyone and everything done for him, and he had hated it. Things had gotten a lot better after his operation. He was able to go out and do things on his own. Even simple tasks that people took for granted felt rewarding. He loved doing things for himself and working hard at them.

But nothing had been like today. Today he felt as if he were truly living rather than just having an easy ride through life. It felt good. If this was what borrowers faced every day, then life would be very fulfilling.

These were his final thoughts before he drifted off to sleep.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Shō was not aware of it, but as he fell asleep, someone was watching him. It was the fortuneteller. She had been keeping a close eye on him the whole time, using her crystal ball to spy on him when she couldn't hide anywhere without being seen. The boy had had some close calls today, but she was unable to step in and help him due to the conditions of their contract. She may get paid whether he succeeded or not, but if he ended up dead, well, then she'd get nothing. But the boy was adapting well.

"A whole day has passed, and you've gone out of your way." She muttered. "You're chances of reaching her in time are decreasing."

She glanced at her crystal ball. The quickest way for Shō to reach Arrietty appeared to her. He had a lot of ground to make up to cover the distance Miyako and her parents had taken him out of his way. It was a shame; had he remained on his little raft going down the stream, he could have reached Arrietty by tomorrow night. He could still make it; but time was against him.

"Time is against us all."

She tapped her crystal ball, and one of the glowing specks of light floated out. Taking it between her thumb and index finger, she held it over her head and rubbed her two fingers together. Golden dust rained down on her and her body glowed for a few moments.

"Much better." She sighed.

Her gaze returned to the can Shō was sleeping in. He was smart to take time to sleep and recover his strength, even if he was pressed for time. He wouldn't do himself any good if he pushed himself to his limits and had no further strength to continue. But knowing him and the type of childhood he had, it wasn't unusual that he knew how to pace himself and reserve his strength.

She couldn't imagine how hard it must have been for him. She shivered at the thought of constantly having death hovering over her head. The poor boy had endured it for so long that he had actually resigned himself to death. It was Arrietty that pulled him out of that depression.

Her thoughts turned to the young borrower Shō was so desperate to get to. Although it had originally been Arrietty's wish that she had heard, she had thought Shō was the better choice of who to approach. Arrietty was very ignorant to the ways of humans, or beans as her kind called them, and it would be much harder for her to adapt. Turning a human into a borrower had seemed like the smarter thing to do.

She had thought about who she should approach before deciding on Shō. If the boy didn't make it in time, she could always approach Arrietty and offer her the alternative; for a small fee of course. But she still felt that Shō was the more logical choice. If things played out the way she planned, then this would be the best case scenario. If neither Shō or Arrietty were happy with the outcome, well that wasn't her concern. She made the offer, the customer accepted. That's the way it was. If they didn't like the final result, that was their problem, not hers. It's why some considered her to be a giving angel while others considered her a greedy witch, just as she'd told Shō when they first met, and so far it looked as if things weren't going in his favor. Oh well, buyer beware, as the saying goes.

"I hope you have restful night, boy, because you've still got a long journey ahead of you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Shō has finally escaped from Miyako's house. Too bad he lost a whole day doing it. Now he only has two days left, and he's even further away. The fortuneteller is watching over him, but she can't intervene. At least Shō sort of got to say goodbye to his mother; a little detail he had overlooked before. Sorry there was no scene with Arrietty in this chapter, but she'll be back in the next. See you then.)


	9. Early Morning and Rude Awakening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I'm really happy with the way this chapter turned out. I had a lot of fun writing it. I decided to focus on Arrietty and her lifestyle for the first part. I wanted to brainstorm ideas of how borrowers lived. Well, borrowers in her living conditions anyway. Enjoy.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 9: Early Morning and Rude Awakening**

Arrietty had woken up earlier than usual. According to the watch Spiller gave her, it was 6:34. She had nearly two hours before the beans arrived. Plenty of time to do what she needed.

Gathering what she needed for her little trip, she made her way through the tree. It had taken her quite some time to remember where all the tunnels led to when she and her family had first moved in, but that was normal for borrowers; they were little people in big world.

Soon enough, she was underground, making her way through the tunnels. She ended up exiting a pipe that was no longer in use. A water fountain used to be connected here, but it had been taken away, though the pipes remained. She was near the recreation center now.

Coming up to the building, she reached into her pack for what she needed and pulled out two suction cups. Several dozen of them had been discovered in the memorial tree when she and her family had first moved in. They made climbing around very convenient.

She crawled onto the drainpipe. Using the suction cups, she began climbing up the inside. She was glad to see a clear passage. Sometimes when it rained, sticks, leaves, and other stuff would be washed off the roof and plug up the pipe; then they would have to climb it from the outside. Her mother was always terrified when they had to do that. She was afraid that something would attack them while they were climbing.

' _Mama is paranoid.'_  She thought as she climbed, humming the nursery rhyme  _"Insy Wincy Spider"_  that bean children were so fond of.

She made it to the top and crawled out of the pipe. Walking along the roof, she lifted one of the tiles and slipped underneath. This was the space between the roof and the ceiling. She'd taken this route many times, knowing exactly where to go.

She came across a trapdoor made by other borrowers in the past and lifted it. Down below was a room in the recreation center. It was a long drop though, but that was ok; they had something for that. A short distance away, tied to a nail partly sticking out of the wall, was a rope ladder. This too had already been here where Arrietty and her father first came through this way. And it was very long.

Gathering the bundle of rope, she dropped it through the trapdoor. It reached the very floor of the room. Now she simply had to climb down. And it was a  _long_  way down, but she made it.

Once on the floor, she looked up at the clock hanging on the wall. It was now 6:55. She was making good timing.

Walking across the tiled floor, she came to a door the beans used. Lying next to it was a triangle-shaped wooden doorstop. This would take quite a bit of effort on her part, but she could do it. The door wasn't one that had a knob to be turned or even a handle to be pulled, and least not on this side. The handle was on the other side while on this side a bean could simply push the door open.

Arrietty lined the doorstop up with the end of the door and began pushing. The end of the doorstop dug into the space between the door and the doorframe. Her face turned red with the strain she was using, but slowly, very slowly, the doorstop pushed through the space, opening the door the smallest bit more and more.

She had to stop several times to rest, but the doorstop prevented the door from closer and undoing her hard work. Once she caught her breath, she pushed some more until the door had opened just enough for her to squeeze through.

Wiping the sweat from her brow, she squeezed through the crack in the door. She was glad that she only had to do this once. Even if the door did close once she was inside, there were other ways to get in and out; they just took longer.

She was now in the bathroom. It was quite different from the ones borrowers had. Due to a lack of technology, borrowers had to use bedpans. In her current home, after doing their business, they would just dump the contents in the fertilizer surrounding the tree. New fertilizer was provided every week, so there was no buildup of waste. It made her wonder where a bean's excretions went after they flushed the toilet, but she decided that she didn't want to know.

Taking out her suction cups again, she began climbing up the counter until she reached the sinks lined up on it. Setting down her bag, she went to the closest one and turned it on. She waited for the hot water to heat up before adjusting the cold until it was at a suitable temperature. Then she stripped out of her clothes and slid into the sink.

This was a borrower's version of a shower. It was very relaxing, and not something a borrower got to enjoy that much. Not to say that they were unclean; they had ways of bathing themselves, but a shower was much more luxurious. In her current home, several spots had been carved into the tree to gather a great deal of water when it rained. They would then gather up this water, fill and heat a bath, then bathe that way.

It was a lot of work though, carrying around buckets of water, then heating and filling a bath, plus a shower was much better. Of course, they could only use it if they got up very early in the morning before the beans arrived, as in this case, or waited until night when the beans left. But when they did shower in the morning, they couldn't linger too long, less the beans come while they were enjoying themselves. This shower was a lot better than her old one too since it sprayed water down rather than letting it just fall. Her old one had been more like standing beneath a waterfall while this one was more like a bean's actual shower.

After a few minutes of humming under the spray of the water, Arrietty climbed out of the sink. Right next to the faucet was a soap dispenser. She walked underneath it and pushed the lever, receiving a surprise. Rather than a stream of liquid soap pouring on her, she was covered in a bunch of foam. She jumped at the unexpected bubbles, slipping and falling on the counter.

"That's new." She muttered, wishing she hadn't as bubbles filled her mouth. It must be a new kind of soap that somehow instantly turned to foam upon coming in contact with air or something.

Getting to her feet, she made her way back to the edge of the sink. She scrubbed her hair and body until she was all clean, then slid back into the sink. Standing up, she let the water rinse the suds off her, watching as they went down the drain. It was a good thing that the drain covering was the kind with several holes rather than completely open like some were.

Once she was soap free, she took another minute or two to relax under the warm water before climbing out. She turned off the water and walked over to the soap dispenser. Right next to it was a large machine of some kind the produced paper towels. Arrietty had no idea how it worked, but all she had to do was grab onto the end of the paper towel that was sticking out, give it a tug, and the machine spit out the rest.

Tearing the paper towel from the machine, she dried off, then crumbled it up into a ball. She walked back over to the sink and used the crumbled up paper towel to clean up the water spots and piles of soapsuds she left behind. Then she walked over to the end of the counter and tossed the paper towel into the large garbage can by the counter.

Feeling refreshed and ready for the day, she got dressed and climbed off the counter with her suction cups. She walked back over to the door and squeezed through the opening. Once she was through, she pulled the doorstop back and the bathroom door shut. No one would ever no she was even there at all.

The first thing she did was check the clock. It was now 7:36. Yup, plenty of time, nearly an hour before the beans came. And her next task was what she wanted to do yesterday.

She walked over to the vending machines. After looking up at her options, she decided on what she wanted and climbed through the opening. Once inside, she climbed up until she reached the level she wanted. She knew not to take the one from the front, and not to take any if there were less than four, otherwise a bean might notice.

Going to the back of the aisle, she saw that there were seven boxes. She grabbed the one in the back and pulled it free. She now had a box of  _Pocky_  that was bigger than her. These would last awhile. They could have them at her wedding.

Arrietty frowned as thoughts of her upcoming wedding came to her. She shook her head, pushing such thoughts aside. While borrowing, she couldn't allow herself to be distracted by anything.

Climbing out of the vending machine, she dropped the box of  _Pocky_  by her pack. She pulled out a rubber band and strapped the box to her back. This made her unable to carrying her pack properly, so she put it on her front, wearing it backwards.

It was 7:43 as Arrietty began climbing the rope ladder. It took even longer this time since she was carrying a box of  _Pocky_  with her, but she made it to the top. Pulling up the rope ladder, she returned it to where she found it, then went back to the trapdoor. She stuck her head through it and glanced at the clock one last time. It was 7:57.

Closing the trapdoor, she went back the way she came, going up and out through the tile on the roof. When she came to the drainpipe, she hesitated a moment before smiling. Taking off the  _Pocky_  box, she placed it by the entrance to the drainpipe and climbed on top. She stuck her legs underneath the rubber band to secure herself to the box, then wiggled until the box fell down the hole.

"ALLEY OOP!" she cried, laughing all the while as the box slide down the pipe like a speeding sled.

At the bottom, the drainpipe turned from a drop to a curve, spitting her out upright. The box slid across the ground with her on top of it like a sled coming to a stop at the bottom of a snowy hill. She laughed at the rush, knowing that her mother would kill her if she was caught doing that.

Climbing off the box, she secured it to her back again and made her way back home. She came to the pipe that led to the underground tunnels of her home and hopped down it.

"Another successful borrowing!" she said happily.

It was a good thing she went when she did; it looked like it was going to rain soon.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Shō got the rudest awakening of his life that morning. Around 8:00, a couple of children were walking down the street. Spotting the can that Shō was sleeping in, one of them decided to kick it. The impact of their foot colliding with the can woke Shō, and he found himself airborne. He screamed like never before as the pressure had him practically glued to the wall of the can while the outside world spun around in a series of colors.

Then everything came to a stop. Shō toppled over, his head spinning. He felt like he was going to be sick and ended up gagging a few times. He had no idea what happened. One moment he had been fast asleep, the next he was flying through the air.

He came to the conclusion that someone or something must have sent the can flying, and him with it. In hindsight, he realized that sleeping in an empty can lying in the street hadn't been such a good idea. But he had been so tired last night that he hadn't been thinking properly.

Well, he was completely awake now. He was also wondering how he was still alive. The can hadn't bounced when it hit the ground, which would have most likely broken his neck. Something must have cushioned his fall.

Once the disorientation passed, he climbed out of the can and saw what saved his life. The can had landed in a bush. All the leaves and branches had stopped his fall without too much force. Thank goodness for that. He'd been very lucky.

Well, not completely lucky. The bush he had landed in was actually a rose bush. And the can had fallen right in the middle of it. All those thorns would make it difficult to get through.

His clothes got caught several times on the thorns, and he got cut a couple times too, but not badly. Once he reached the top, he climbed onto one of the roses to avoid the thorns and then looked around.

It seemed that fate had spared his life just to make it more difficult. He'd ended up landing in someone's yard. The problem was that unlike the fence at Miyako's house, this yard was surrounded by a wooden fence. The yard was completely closed off with nowhere for him to squeeze through. Even the gate was closed with a latch. There was no way he'd be able to open that.

He took a deep breath and told himself not to panic. In many cases, these types of fences had knotholes. He was sure he could fit through one of those. And it seemed that fate wasn't completely against him since the rose bush was right up against the fence. He could climb through the bushes to reach almost any height of the fence. Of course, the fences were about a foot taller than the bushes, so he had to hope to find a hole that was lower than that.

And so began his journey through the thorns. He got nicked a few more times, though they weren't deep, and his clothes tore in a few places, but after about an hour of searching, he finally found what he was looking for.

He discovered a knothole about an inch wide. He could fit through there. But he instantly ran into another problem. Even if he did slip through, he still had a four-foot drop by human standards. There was no way he could jump from there without ending up seriously injured, maybe even dead.

But he didn't let himself worry just yet. Perhaps he would get lucky again and find something to cushion his fall, or maybe there were garbage bags resting against the fence that he could climb down.

"I'm really getting sick of garbage." He muttered, heading for the hole. He poked his head through and found that fortune did not favor him this time. There were no garbage cans, or anything else he could climb down or use to cushion his fall. It was a complete drop straight down. "Well that's just great."

He looked around for something he could use, reminding himself to think like a borrower. His eyes eventually settled on something. Stuck to the fence, about an arm's length from the hole, were several pieces of chewed gum. It seemed as if passing children would try and throw their gum through the hole; at least that's the conclusion Shō came to when he saw all the gum around the hole.

Shō looked down, then back at the gum. A rather disgusting idea came to him. He frowned in disgust, unable to believe that he was actually considering doing this. But he had no other way to get out of here. He would just have to grin and bear it, regardless of how unpleasant the thought was.

Before he did anything, he sat down and thought for a bit. He weighed his options, thinking about what he could do. A couple other ideas occurred to him, but none of them would get him out of here. He finally sighed in resignation and got to work.

Plucking leaves from the bushes, he dropped them through the hole, letting them pile up at the bottom of the fence. Once he had a nice pile, he broke a twig off the bush, followed by a thorn from one of the roses. Going back over to the hole, he reached out and grabbed the closest wad of gum. He grimaced as his hand came in contact with the sticky substance and pulled a chunk of it away. He stretched it out, and then placed the thorn at the end of the twig and wrapped the gum around the base.

When he was finished, he examined his work. With the use of these three items, used gum, a twig, and a thorn, he had created a spear. Remembering the mosquito from the night before, he figured that he would need some way to protect himself in case he ran into any danger on the rest of his journey. He wasn't entirely sure it would work, but it was better than having nothing.

Now it was time to get out of here. He dropped his new spear through the hole, watching as it fell to the ground. Then he looked back at the piece of gum still stuck to the fence. With a disgusted look on his face, he grabbed as much of it as he could in his arms. He took a deep breath, not looking down, and then jumped.

His weight wasn't that great, and the gum acted as a bungee cord, stretching out as he fell. It only stretched about half the way though before snapping. Shō cried out as he fell the rest of the way, landing on the pile of leaves. He got the wind knocked out of him, but he was relatively unharmed. Thank goodness he'd thought to make a bed of leaves to land on before he jumped, otherwise he might have broken his back.

Pulling off the remaining gum that stuck to him, he picked up his spear, leaning on it for support. He hadn't taken more than two steps before he heard thunder. Looking up, he saw dark storm clouds filling the sky, and he could smell moisture in the air. There was no doubt about it; it was definitely going to rain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: It seems as if Mother Nature herself is against Shō having a successful journey. Now he's got to travel in the rain; a very difficult, perhaps even dangerous, thing for him to do at 10 centimeters tall. And he doesn't have time to wait for the rain to stop, if it even does within his remaining time. Next time, as Shō continues his journey, he runs into someone, or something, from his past. Stay tuned to see what it is.)


	10. Coming To A Crossroads

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Sorry this is late. I caught a cold and was out of commission for a while. I'm all better now, and the next chapter is here. A lot of you guessed that it would be the cat that Shō would end up meeting again. Lets see if you're right.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 10: Coming To A Crossroads**

It was really coming down. When the first drops of rain began to fall, Shō hadn't thought it would be too much of a problem, until he was hit that is. The raindrop slammed into him like a giant fast-moving water balloon. He nearly toppled over, but managed to remain standing.

He'd quickly grabbed a leaf, using it to shield himself from the rain. It was no umbrella, but it protected him from getting completely soaked, and it did absorb some of the impact of the falling drops. It wasn't ideal to run around in the rain, and he doubted borrowers did it much, if ever, but he didn't have time to wait for the rain to stop. He was already behind schedule, and the rain would most likely slow him down even more. Besides, it could rain for hours, maybe even days. He had to keep moving.

Overall, he thought he covered a fair amount of ground after a few hours. He didn't need to worry about any people walking around since it was pouring so hard, although he did see one or two with umbrellas out and about. Even so, he'd been sure to remain hidden as he journeyed, staying out of sight or hardly visible, although there were a few occasions where he had to cross open areas without any cover, save for his leaf.

So far, he had been lucky to avoid any roads, never going beyond the sidewalk. But he soon came to a spot where he was left with no choice. In order to continue towards the park, he would have to cross the street. And to make matters worse, there were cars traveling up and down the road. Not many people were willing to walk around in the rain, but driving was a different story.

But there was a traffic light up the road some. This left him with gaps in the traffic for a time. He wondered if he'd be able to cross the street before the light changed again. He figured he could at least make it to the yellow line in the middle of the road, then wait for the next light.

It would still be cutting it close, and he needed as much time as he could get before the traffic began to flow again. So he waited by the edge of the sidewalk, waiting for the light to change so he could cross.

But Shō had made a big mistake doing this. The rain was coming down hard, and the water was all gathering by the curb, forming a type of river-like water flow. One particular car got a little too close to the side, splashing up water as it passed. Shō was thrown back as the car sprayed up a wave, completely knocking him off his feet. He landed a short distance away, his leaf getting blown away by the wind. But his spear was too heavy to be blown away, and came falling down.

Shō's eyes widened as the spear landed point first right next to his head. It was almost comical, like the kind of thing you would see on TV where a sword, arrow, or some other sharp object would nearly impale the wielder after they were knocked down, normally by the person's head, or between their legs if they were a boy. Having it actually happen in real life was  _not_  funny in the least. Once again, Shō wasn't sure if fortune favored him, or hated him.

He remained where he was for a short while. He may have laid there longer if he weren't getting the wind knocked out of him as he was pelted by water drops. He sat up and looked around, not seeing his leaf anywhere. That didn't matter too much; he could always get another one.

But without his leaf, he was completely exposed, and it didn't take long for something to spot him. It passed him overhead, casting a shadow over him. Shō looked up at whatever was casting a shadow, only to see a large black object coming down for him.

It was a crow. The bird had been flying around, hoping to find some worms that had crawled out of the ground as it began to rain, and instead it found him. The crow swooped down, opening its beak to grab him. Shō flattened himself on the ground at the last second, and the crow passed over him. But he wasn't out of danger yet.

The crow circled around, coming for him again. Rather than trying to snatch him while it was in the air, it landed right beside him. Shō scooted back as the crow lunged at him. He spread his legs and the crow's beak struck the ground right between them, once again in a very comical TV show-like joke. It pecked again, and Shō rolled to the side, narrowly missed being pecked, but he still felt the crow's beak against his backside.

The crow stared at him a moment, as if it were surprised that its prey had avoided being snatched up three times. It squawked in frustration, and that's when Shō saw it. Around the crow's neck, it seemed to be missing its feathers. He could see its skin in a ring around the neck, and it was all scarred, as if something had torn into its neck. It almost looked as if it were wearing a collar of scarred flesh.

Shō's memory flashed back to six years ago to when he and Arrietty met at his window. He'd been trying to convince her to come out of hiding when a crow suddenly attacked, targeting Arrietty as a meal. It ended up crashing into the window. Shō's window had been opened, with only a wire screen covering to keep out insects. The crow's head had broken right through this, getting its head stuck.

Shō had immediately gone to Arrietty's rescue, pulling her inside and away from the crow. But even though it was stuck, the crow had fought furiously to get free, trying to grab Arrietty from him. Haru had arrived at that moment and gotten rid of the crow.

Could this actually be the very same crow? It had to be. What else could that ring around its neck be from? It had been scarred after the screen dug into its neck when it had gotten stuck. And now the crow was trying to make a meal out of him.

Now that was ironic.

The crow hopped closer, and Shō backed up further. His hand landed on his spear, and he quickly grabbed it, just as the crow lunged. He pointed his spear at the crow and it backed off, unprepared for its prey's sudden attempt to defend itself. Not that it was giving up.

It lunged again. Shō swung the spear, feeling it connect with the bird's beak. Not that this did any damage, but it made the crow back off again. It tried again, and Shō swung the spear again, once more receiving the same result.

But the thorn at the end of his spear was only held on by a piece of gum wrapped around it. Smacking it against the crow's beak had, not knocked it off, but made it point to the right. It wouldn't be of much use now. Shō quickly attempted to straighten out the thorn, and the crow took the opportunity to strike.

Shō tried to avoid the beak, and he did for the most part, but the beak clamped down on his pants. He was lifted up in the air, suddenly finding himself hanging upside-down. He desperately whacked at the crow's beak with his spear, but the crow didn't even react to the blows.

Then his pants ripped and he fell. The crow was left with nothing more than a torn leg of his pants. Shō quickly scrambled to his feet, pointing his spear at the crow again. It seemed to realize that whatever it had in its mouth wasn't edible, and turned its attention back to him. It seemed to be frustrated now and began stalking towards him, merely retracting its head a bit when Shō stabbed forward.

Suddenly Shō nearly fell backwards. He regained his balance and glanced behind him. The crow had backed him up to the edge of the curb. The drop wasn't far, only about twice his height, but the water gathered there was flowing rapidly, like a river. He'd never be able to swim in that current. He was trapped.

The crow realized it had cornered its prey and just seemed to be waiting for the right time to strike. Shō tried creeping to the right, but the crow hopped in that direction, cutting him off. The process was repeated when he tried to go to the left.

Maybe he could jump over the speeding water. Then he could make a run for it. Once he got to the middle of the road, he was sure that the crow wouldn't go after him if the traffic started again. But could he make the jump? He glanced over his shoulder to see how far it was.

Noticing that his attention was diverted, the crow struck, beak open. Shō looked up in time to see it lunging. He did the only thing he could think of. He threw the spear.

It struck, point first, right in the crow's left eye. It squawked loudly, its lunge going off to the side, missing Shō. It shook its head rapidly, trying to dislodge the spear from its eye, tripping over its own feet in the process. Crying out in pain, it flapped its wings and clumsily took to the air. It flew about wildly, not paying attention, and flying right out into the street. It narrowly missed hitting a passing car.

But the sudden appearance of the crow flying right in front of it, brushing against the windshield, startled the driving. They stepped on their breaks, the wet road causing the car to skid and spin out of control. It swerved to the side, riding up onto the sidewalk, just missing crushing Shō, and coming to a stop without anyone getting hurt.

But as the car sped past him, no more than a couple of inches away, Shō fell back, tumbling off the curb. He splashed into the water, and was immediately swept away by the current. It took him a moment to realize what had happened, and he immediately tried to swim. It proved to be impossible. The current was too strong and moving too fast for him to swim; all he could do was tumble along as he was carried away.

He clawed at the curb, but was unable to get a grip anywhere. Even if he did, he wouldn't be able to hold on for long before the current would sweep him away again. Besides, it was too high for him to climb back up. Instead, he focused on trying to keep his head above the water, but he mostly ended up swallowing several mouthfuls rather than getting gulps of air.

It felt like an eternity, but was only for a few seconds. And that was when he saw it. Up ahead, the water was flowing into a storm drain. If he went down there, even if he survived the drop, he'd surely drown. He renewed his struggles, but had no more success than he did before. He flowed closer and closer until the ground disappeared beneath him.

He grabbed onto the metal grate, wrapping his arms around it and holding on for dear life. The water flowed over him, making it very difficult to keep a grip. He was already slipping, but if he fell, he would be dead.

With the water cascading over him, he couldn't breathe. He tried stretching his neck out, but could barely get above the surface. He realized that if he didn't get out of this, and soon, that he would drown before he even fell. Already water was forcing its way up his nose and mouth. He couldn't last much longer.

That's when all hope of escape left him as he spotted something flying overhead. It wasn't the crow, but it was another bird of some kind. He couldn't tell what since the water obscured his vision. And it was circling over him like a bird of prey would before it swooped down to catch its meal. It must have come to get the meal that the crow had abandoned. Even if by some miracle he did make it out of the water, the bird would get him.

Not that it mattered. He was beyond feeling lightheaded. His lungs were burning, starved of oxygen. Things were getting dark as he started to faint. Just as he lost his grip on the grate, he completely blacked out.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Arrietty suddenly gasped, her hand flying towards her chest. She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt a phantom pain in her chest, and a feeling of dread washed over her. What was that? It felt like something terrible happened somewhere; as if something bad had happened to someone she cared about.

But that was ridiculous. Her parents and Spiller were still in the tree. Besides, how could she know that something bad happened to someone? Intuition? But no, that still didn't make sense. But still, this horrible pain in her heart left her feeling very uneasy.

"Arrietty? Are you ok?"

She looked up at her mother. "Oh, yeah, fine, I think. I don't know, my heart just started hurting all of a sudden."

Homily's eyebrows rose. "Heartburn?"

She shook her head. "No, nothing like that. It's a really bad feeling. Remember how you told me how you felt when I was a little girl and I left the house alone."

Homily's hand covered her own heart. "Oh, don't bring that up. You scared your father and me to death when you disappeared like that."

Arrietty ignored that. "Well, it feels sort of like that. Like you know something really bad has happened."

Homily just waved it off. "Oh, that's silly. Nothing bad has happened. Everything is fine. Maybe you're just nervous about your wedding. That must be it."

But Arrietty knew better. This wasn't nervousness, and there wasn't anything physically wrong with her either. Something had happened; she  _knew_  it did. She could feel it.

' _Shō!'_  her mind screamed. She didn't know how she knew, but this awful feeling was about him.  _'Oh, Shō, what's happened to you?'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Big cliffhanger there. Shō's in way over his head, literally, and Arrietty sensed it. I bet none of you guessed the crow would be the one Shō had a reunion with. If you did, congrats. I wanted an 'enemy' from the past to stand as an obstacle in Shō's path, and aside from the crow, the only other option was Haru, and it's not likely that she'll show up… Hmm, or is it?)


	11. Not Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Wow, a lot of people loved the part where Arrietty "sensed" Shō. I didn't expect that big of a reaction. People sure were excited. Wouldn't it just be Shō's luck that she went out looking for him just as he reaches her home and they'd miss each other. *Snicker* Oops, I think I just provided a spoiler. Of course, we have to pick up where I left you hanging last chapter.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 11: Not Alone**

Shō didn't want to wake up. He was far too comfortable. The pillow was soft, the mattress was firm, and the warm sheets were so inviting. But something was buzzing around in his mind; something important, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

He eventually became unable to stop thinking about it and sat up, stretching his aching limbs. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and opened them. He had absolutely no idea where he was. Currently, he was in a bedroom; that was the extent of his knowledge. He didn't know whose room or how he ended up there.

Shō may be a college student, but he never was one for drinking and partying like many of the other students, so there shouldn't be any reason why he'd wake up in someone else's bed with no idea of how he got there.

' _I've been kidnapped!'_  It was the first thought that came to him that explained his situation, but he immediately dismissed it. Who would kidnap him, and to what end? He didn't have any enemies, and his family wasn't rich, so there'd be no reason for a ransom.

Throwing the covers off, he suddenly realized another important fact. He was naked… again. This was the second time in two days he suddenly found himself without any clothes. But wait, the second time? When else had he been in such a state of undress?

That's when it all came flooding back to him. He'd nearly drowned during the storm yesterday. Or  _did_  he drown? Was he dead? Was this Heaven? No, he wouldn't feel so sore from getting tossed around yesterday if he were dead. Someone must have saved him.

But who? And how long had he been out? Judging from the room he was in, it was obvious that it had been a borrower. That meant he was still small, so he still had time before his three days were up. But just how much time he had left, he didn't have a clue.

Just then, the door to the room opened. In walked a girl around sixteen. Her eyes widened at seeing Shō up and about. And then her eyes trailed a little lower, and she blushed furiously. Shō's face turned red as well, and he quickly wrapped the covers around himself. The girl took the opportunity to run screaming from the room.

"Father! Father! He's awake! He's awake!"

Shō gulped. Now what was going to happen to him? He didn't mean to startle or embarrass the girl. Hopefully his hosts wouldn't be upset with him.

A few moments later, another borrower entered the room. He looked to be in his early twenties, and he had a look on his face that suggested that he was in a bad mood. Shō wondered if it was this man's bed he had ended up sleeping in, and couldn't exactly blame the guy for being a little irritated by him.

"Um… hi…" he said to the grumpy borrower. "I'm guessing that you guys saved me."

The borrower crossed his arms. "Obviously."

Yes, the guy was definitely in a bad mood. "Thanks, I really appreciate it. Um, do you mind telling me where I am?"

"In our home. Where else would you be?"

Shō realized how pointless his question was. Borrowers didn't have things like neighborhoods, and streets, and stuff. "Oh, yeah, I guess that's true. I'm actually surprised to see other borrowers."

"We are as well."

It wasn't the borrower in the room that spoke. Another borrower entered the room. This one was much older, possibly in his late fifties. Shō assumed this was the father of the girl that had run out screaming. He was walking with the support of a cane because his leg seemed to be broken. Wrapped around his leg was a borrower's version of a cast, made of toothpicks to create a split and a band-aid, which was secured even further with a piece of tape wrapped around it. The girl followed close behind her father. Actually, hiding behind him was more like it.

"We thought we were the last of our kind." The older man continued. "I'm glad to see we were proven wrong."

The younger of the two men glanced at the older one. "Father, you should not be out of bed."

The older borrower just waved if off. "Hogwash! I'm perfectly capable of moving around my own house."

"You need to rest."

"I rest plenty. Needing to rest does not mean staying in bed the entire eight weeks I'm recovering. Now quit acting so stuck up in front of our guest."

Shō suddenly felt embarrassed, and it wasn't due to his lack of clothes. "Oh, please excuse my rudeness," he said, politely bowing his head. "My name is Shō. I would like to thank you for saving my life."

The older man smiled. "Think nothing of it, my boy. We borrowers got to stick together. My name is Duds, and this shy little thing behind me is my daughter Lorelei. We call her Lori for short."

She poked her head out from behind her father, a blush still on her cheeks. "You can call me that too, if you want."

"And this serious son of mine is Suspiro." Duds continued, motioning to the other borrower. "He's the one who saved you."

Suspiro simply humphed and turned away.

Te older man just rolled his eyes. "Lori here has been taking care of you since you got here."

The young girl blushed furiously and hid behind her father again.

Shō gave them all a grateful smile. "Thanks a lot. I really owe you. And I'm sorry for taking your bed." Now would be the best time to ask. "Exactly how long was I out?"

Duds tapped his chin. "Let's see. I think Suspiro brought you here about three or four hours ago."

Shō sighed in relief. It hadn't been as long as he feared. He could still make it.

"I'm afraid you lost your shoes in the current. Your clothes are drying out now. You can borrow some of Suspiro's for now. They'll be a little big, but not nearly as big as the ones you were wearing before." He laughed.

Shō smiled shyly, but then a horrible thought struck him. "The hairclip!"

Duds blinked in surprise. "Pardon?"

"I had a rubber band strapped around my waist that had a hairclip on it. Do you know what happened to it?"

"Oh that. Don't worry, that made it. Although," his eyes scanned over Shō's head, "I don't see how you use that for a hairclip; your hair's much too short for that."

Another wave of relief flowed over him. "I don't, but someone very close to me gave it to me as a keepsake. She was the one that used it as a hairclip."

"Ah, I see. Well, no worries, you can have it back whenever."

"Thank you." He glanced at Suspiro. "If you don't mind me asking, how exactly did you save me?"

Suspiro sighed impatiently. "I don't have time to swap stories; I have things to do."

He walked past his father and sister, leaving the room. Duds just grumbled and shook his head. "I apologize for him. He's always so serious all the time. The boy needs to learn to have fun sometimes. But to answer your question, he saw you fighting that crow and then fall in the water. He and Screech got you out."

Shō raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, what?"

Duds slapped his forehead. "Ah, forgive me, my boy. I'm getting up there in years, and I'm not always thinking clearly."

"Screech is Suspiro's pet bird." Lori told him.

Shō looked surprised by this. "His pet bird?"

Lori nodded. "Yeah, we live in the attic of an elder couple of beans. They never come up here, so we're safe. There's broken window that some sparrows come through. They made a nest up here. Father figured out how to tame them years ago and he taught Suspiro."

"You mean you guys fly around on them?" Shō asked incredulously.

"Not me." Lori replied. "Father and brother won't let me until I'm eighteen. Then I get Sir Chirps-A-Lot." She giggled. "That's what I named mine."

Shō couldn't believe what he was hearing. They'd actually managed to tame birds and learned to ride them. Lori had said they were sparrows. Well, sparrows weren't that much bigger than borrowers, so they probably wouldn't try to make a meal out of them.

That's when he remembered back to when he was nearly washed down the storm drain. He'd seen a bird circling overhead. Had that been Suspiro on Screech right before they saved him? It must have.

"So, boy, tell me," said Duds, "what were you doing out there in that storm anyway? Hunting for worms?"

Shō frowned. Hunting for worms? Hopefully he didn't mean that they ate worms. "Um, no. Just traveling."

"Were you immigrating?"

"Sorry, what?"

"Immigrating." Duds repeated. "Looking for a new place to live."

"Oh… Something like that, I guess."

Lori stood on her tiptoes and whispered something in her father's ear.

"I was going to suggest the very same thing." Duds replied. "You'd be more than welcome to stay with us. It'd be nice to have a new face around."

"Oh…" Shō muttered. "Well, I don't want to impose."

"Think nothing of it." Duds boomed. "It's no trouble at all." He glanced at his daughter. "Lori, be a dear and fetch some of your brother's clothes for the boy."

"Yes, Father."

As she hurried out of the room, Duds gave Shō a big smile. "So what do you say?"

Shō gave him a grateful smile. "I truly appreciate the offer, but I can't. There's somewhere I have to be. Someone I have to get to."

"Ah, I see. Family?"

"No." He decided it would be better if they thought he had no family. How could he possibly explain his human mother? "I don't have any family."

Duds' face fell. "Oh, I'm sorry, son. I know how tough it is to have your loved ones taken from you." He raised a bushy eyebrow. "So, this person you're trying to get to, is it a girl?"

Shō blushed. "Um, yeah."

The old man chuckled. "Let me guess; she's the one who gave you the hairclip."

Shō smiled shyly. "Is it obvious?"

"Extremely. You've got the look of love in your eyes. I'm surprised I missed it earlier." He laughed wholeheartedly. "So tell me, where is your lady friend?"

"She lives in the park, in the memorial tree by the recreation center."

"Ah, I know where that is. I've seen it when I've gone flying. That's quite a journey though."

Shō nodded. "Yes, and I actually have to get there as soon as possible. So I really must be leaving."

"Why, what's the rush?"

Shō decided not to tell him about the magic contract. Besides, he had another excuse. "She's getting married."

Duds' eyes widened. "Married you say? To someone else?"

Shō nodded. "It's an arranged marriage, but if I can get to her in time, I may be able to stop it."

"I see." Duds replied. "How much time do you have?"

Shō thought about it. When the fortuneteller had cast the spell, it had been about 2:00 in the afternoon. If that had been the starting point, then that meant he had until about 2:00 tomorrow before the spell wore off. He had no idea when Arrietty's actual wedding was, most likely not on that day, but it was still his deadline.

"The wedding is tomorrow at 2:00."

Duds' eyes widened. "Cutting it close, aren't you?"

"There were complications," Shō admitted. "And I never expected to get caught in a storm." He gave Duds a hopeful look. "Do you know the fastest way I can get there?"

The old man thought about it a moment. "Let me think… Hmm… Well, at this point it'd be impossible for you to make it there on foot before 2:00 tomorrow. However, if memory serves right, the home of your lady friend has a creek right next to it. Not too far from here, there's another creek that flows right into it. It moves at a decent speed. If you raft down it, you could make it there in a matter of hours."

Rafting? Again? That figured. It worked  _so_  well the first time. But it was still good news. He could reach Arrietty in a matter of hours.

"How long would it take to get there?" he asked.

Duds thought about it. "I'd say it's about a two hour hike to the creek, and then maybe six hours to reach your destination. So about an eight hour trip total."

Eight hours! He could be with Arrietty again in eight hours!

"And what time is it now?"

"Well," Duds replied, "according to the old grandfather clock up here, which is still working, I heard it ring five times, so that's 5:00. And that was about twenty minutes ago. So it's about 5:20 now. You've got plenty of time before you need to head out. Why don't you join us for dinner? You could even stay the night, and you'd still make it in time, provided you don't sleep past 6:00."

Shō's stomach chose that moment to growl. He  _was_  hungry; he hadn't eaten all day. "If you're sure it's no bother, I would love to stay for dinner. But I'm afraid I'll have to refuse you're offer of spending the night. I'd rather not cut it any closer than I already am."

Duds nodded. "Certainly, my boy. I understand completely. I'll have Suspiro take you to the creek right after we eat."

"Oh, that's not necessary." Shō told him. "You could just point me in the right direction."

"Nonsense. It's no trouble at all. We borrowers got to stick together."

Lori chose that moment to return with her brother's clothes in her arms. "Sorry, brother didn't want to give up his clothes. He said he only would if you agree to stay in bed, Father."

Duds grumbled. "That son of mine, always so…" He shook his head. "All right, fine, I'm going. Lori, you keep young Shō here company. Shō, my boy, I'll see you at dinner."

Shō waved at him as he limped out of the room. "Thanks again."

Shō and Lori were left alone together. Another blush crept up her cheeks as she shyly walked over to Shō and laid the clothes down on the bed. Shō looked down at them, then back at her. She didn't look like she was going anywhere.

Shō cleared his throat. "Uh, would you mind, umm…?"

Lori's eyes widened. "Oh, right! I'm sorry! I'll be just outside the door in case you need anything."

She hurried out of the room, closing the door behind her. Shō willed the redness in his cheeks away as he tried to get over his embarrassment. He quickly changed his clothes. He heard a giggly from behind him and turned around. There was a surprised squeak from the other side of the door, which was opened a crack. Hadn't Lori closed it all the way when she left? He could have sworn he'd heard the door close completely shut. Surely she hadn't…?

"Lori, I'm done." He announced.

The door opened again, and Lori poked her head in. Her face was red again, and she had a look on her face like a child that had been caught sneaking a cookie out of the cookie jar. To avoid further embarrassment, Shō chose not to say anything.

"Thanks for the clothes." He told her. "And could you thank your brother for me? For some reason, I don't think he likes me."

"He's just very protective, and so serious all the time," Lori told him, "but he really is a good big brother. He always makes sure we never go hungry, and he's been working really hard since Father broke his leg."

"What happened anyway?"

"Oh, he was out borrowing and his back gave out when he was climbing down a curtain."

That was different from what Shō had expected. He'd thought that maybe Duds have fallen off his sparrow while he was out flying. Then again, falling from that height would probably kill him; unless he'd been flying really low, but that was unlikely since it would risk being seen.

"I'm sorry." Shō told her. "He will recover though, right?"

"Oh, of course. He just needs to take it easy for a while. He'll be good as new in a month or two. Big brother's constantly worrying about him though. Ever since Mother died, he's always been so worried."

"I'm sorry." Shō repeated.

Lori shrugged. "It was a long time ago. I was only a baby, so I never knew her." She smiled. "But Father says I inherited her cooking skills. Speaking of which I should get started on dinner."

"Need a hand?" Shō offered. It was the least he could do.

Lori smiled. "Oh, that would be lovely."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: It was shorter than I wanted, but I'm still happy with how things turned out. It seems Shō has made some new friends. An interesting bunch too, a jolly father, a snob of a brother, and a shy little sister who seems to have taken a liking to Shō. Sniff, uh oh, I smell trouble brewing.)


	12. Hopes and Schemes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: This chapter is short, I know, and I'm sorry for it, but the ending was a good stopping point to lead into the next chapter.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 12: Hopes and Schemes**

"Thanks for the dinner." said Shō. "It was delicious."

"Thank the old bean downstairs for making it." Duds replied. "And my son for borrowing it."

Suspiro just humphed. "I'm tired of meatloaf. Why can't the old hag make something else?"

"I like it." Lori argued back.

"I never said it was bad," Suspiro told her, "just that I was tired of eating it."

"Well perhaps you can find some nuts or berries on your journey tonight." Duds suggested.

His son raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"I've got a job for." His father explained. "Shō needs your help, and you're going to aid him."

Suspiro calmly took a sip from his cup. "And should I refuse?"

Duds glared at him. "Then I'll do it myself."

His son grumbled. "Fine, I'll help, only if you get back into bed right now."

"You worry too much.  _I'm_  the parent. I should be the one worrying about you, regardless of my broken leg."

"Father…"

Duds sighed. "Oh, all right, fine. I'm going now. Come with me and I'll tell you what you need to do."

The two borrowers left the room, leaving Shō and Lori alone once again. Redness stained the young girl's cheeks and she quickly gathered the dishes, carrying them over to the sink.

"Let me help you with that." Shō offered.

Lori squeaked in surprise as he appeared next to her. "T-That's not necessary. I always do the washing."

Shō gave her a smile. "It's no trouble at all. It's actually the least I could do after all you guys have done for me."

Lori swayed back and forth shyly. "Well, all right. I'll wash and you dry. Deal?"

Shō nodded, and watched as Lori set to work. She plugged up the drain in the sink and turned a crank on a large container above the sink. Water poured out of the container into the sink, filling it up. She explained that they would gather water from the sinks every few weeks and pour it in the container, which they would then use later. Then she grabbed a piece of soap that had been carved out of a bar from the one in the bathroom and made the water soapy, then began washing. Once a dish was clean, she turned the crank slightly, rinsing the soap off with fresh water before handing it to Shō to dry.

Shō was impressed by the ingenious ways borrowers lived off humans. They worked with what they had; using giant objects to create the most basic things that people tended to take for granted. He wondered if all borrowers' lifestyles were the same.

"All borrowers live differently." Lori explained when he asked. "We adapt to live however we need based on where we are. I'm guessing you're asking because you've always lived in the same place before, right?"

Shō was grateful for a good excuse to question the lifestyles of what should be his people, as far as Lori and her family knew. "Yeah, I never moved before, and we did things differently than you do."

"How so?"

Shō resisted the urge the groan. He needed to keep his mouth shut. "Well, um, I lived with humans before."

"Don't we all?" Lori asked. "And how come you call them humans instead of beans?"

He did it again. He really had to watch what he said. "Oh, well, 'beans' just sounds funny. I keep thinking about actual beans; you know, like the kind you eat."

Lori chuckled. "That's silly. It's just short for human being. And bean is easier to say than human."

' _It's one syllable shorter.'_  Shō thought, but decided not to say anything. "Anyway, when I say that I lived with a bean, I meant that literally. She knew I was there."

The plate dropped from Lori's hands. "The bean  _knew_  about you? But… didn't she try and… get you."

Shō noted the horrified look on her face. He, of course, was talking about his mother, and was simply substituting himself for the family of borrowers his mother and grandfather had tried to reach out to. He wanted to let Lori know that beans weren't the dangerous creatures borrowers thought they were.

"Of course not. She was actually a great help. She took care of me. She even had a dollhouse made for me to live in. I was very happy."

Lori shuddered. "I don't think I could bare living with a bean that knew I was there." She gave him a curious look. "But if you were happy, then why did you leave?"

Shō smiled sadly. "Because someone else found out about me. Someone who did try to get me. Humans, er, beans aren't as bad as you believe them to be, but there  _are_  some that do wish us harm. Unfortunately, this person was one of them; so I had to leave."

"And that's when Suspiro found you?"

He'd let her believe that. "Yeah, pretty much."

"I see." She reached into the sink and unplugged it, letting the water drain down where it was led into a pipe that connected to the drain in the human sink downstairs, then she rinsed the suds off her hands and dried them. "Well, don't take this the wrong way, but I'm kind of glad you had to leave, because we got to meet you."

Shō smiled. "I'm glad to have met you too."

Lori blushed furiously. "So, um, did… did you think about what Father said?" At Shō's confused look, she elaborated. "About staying. It'd be really great if you could."

"Oh…" He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring look. "I really appreciate the offer, but I'm afraid I can't."

Her face fell. "What? But why not? You're more than welcome. It'd be nice to have a new face around. Don't you like us?" She looked at her feet. "Don't you like me?"

Shō put his hands on her shoulders. "Of course I like you, and I'm very grateful for all that you've done for me. But I have someplace I need to be. I'm looking for someone very important to me."

"Who?"

"The person I love. I've been trying to find her for a long, long time. And now I finally know where she is. Your father said he'd help me to get to her."

She looked up at him. "Wait, is that the job Father was talking about when he said big brother had to help you?"

Shō nodded. "Yeah, he said he'll take me to a creek that will bring me right to my destination."

"Oh…" Lori traced patterns on the floor with her foot. "But… can't you at least stay for a little while? Please."

Shō shook his head. "Sorry, but I'm on a tight schedule. The girl I love is getting married tomorrow. I only have until 2:00 to stop the wedding before it's too late."

Lori looked surprised. "She's getting married? But what about you?"

"That's why I'm going." Shō told her. "This is our only opportunity to be together. I just hope she feels the same."

Lori couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You're saying that you're traveling to stop the girl you love from getting married tomorrow, and you don't even know if she feels the same?"

Hearing it like that did make it sound completely ludicrous. "Yeah, something like that."

"But what if you don't make it in time? What if she doesn't feel the same?"

Shō was silent for a moment. Such thoughts had been running around in his head nonstop. He knew this whole thing was crazy, but he would regret it every day for the rest of his life if he didn't at least try.

Looking away, he sighed, smiling sadly. "Then, I guess that's it. I'd leave her alone and go back to my old life."

Lori's eyes widened. She stared at Shō for a few moments, the look in her eyes indicating that she was doing some fast but deep thinking. She came to a decision, and ran out of the room without a word.

Shō blinked in surprise. "Was it something I said?"

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"Brother! Brother!" Lori's cries ran through the small house as she headed towards her brother's room. "Brother, where are you?"

She burst into his room, seeing him sitting on his bed as he packed a bag by his feet. He raised an eyebrow at her sudden entrance. "Is there a reason you're running around screaming like a mad woman? Father will scold you for such bad manners while we have a guest."

Lori ignored her brother's complaining. "Brother, I don't want Shō to leave! I want him to stay!"

Suspiro was silent. He'd noticed that his sister had found Shō attractive and seemed to be crushing on him, but he hadn't said anything about it. "And? What do you want me to do?"

"Make him stay!" Lori begged. "He's the only other borrower we've ever seen. I really like him, and he's about my age. I want him to be my husband. This will probably be my only chance to get one. Even if we do run into another borrower in the future, they may end up being way too old, or maybe not even a boy. There may not be another opportunity for me to get a husband ever again. And I like him a lot. I really, really do!"

Suspiro considered her words for a few moments. "Be that as it may, according to Father, he is in love with someone else."

"Someone who's getting married tomorrow!" Lori argued. "He wants to stop the wedding so he can be with her. And he doesn't even know if she feels the same! He said that if she doesn't that he'll leave her alone. Where's the sense in that? And we both know that once he leaves, regardless if that woman returns his feelings or not, that we'll never see him again. It would be better to let her get married tomorrow and for me to marry Shō. We'd preserve the borrower race even more with two families. And I may never get another chance to have a family of my own. I can't let this opportunity pass me by. Please, Suspiro, help me make Shō my husband."

He was silent. He thought over what she said very carefully. His sister had made some good points, and he could see the sense in it. What she was suggesting was the most logical solution. Besides, he could see how much she liked the boy and how much she wanted this. Above all else, he wanted his sister to be happy. He may come off as cold and unfeeling, but he really did care, regardless of the lack of emotion or cold-front he displayed.

Coming to a decision, he got to his feet. "Very well. I'll make it happen. I'll see to it that Shō will be your husband."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Ok, I know you all probably hate Lori and Suspiro right now, but don't think too badly of them. They're not bad people. You have to look at it from their point of view. They're a dying race, and now a potential husband practically falls in Lori's lap, and she really likes him. They're just approaching the situation logically like you would with a breed of animals. It's wrong, but they're not bad, so don't look down on them too much, and we'll see what they're planning to do next chapter.)


	13. Failed Negotiations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I'm on a roll and got this chapter done early. I'd already written a portion of it before I posted the last chapter anyway. I'm also glad that not too many of you hate Lori and Suspiro, although, I think you will by the end of this chapter.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 13: Failed Negotiations**

Shō had returned to the room he had woken up in. His clothes were dry, and he thought that he should get back into them. Duds had said he could keep the pair he was wearing, but Shō didn't want to take any more from these people; they had already done a lot for him. Besides, unless it was stripped from a doll of the correct size, a borrower's clothes had to be handmade, and he didn't want to take something had must have taken a while to make.

"Eight hours." He said to himself. "I'll see her in eight hours."

He felt butterflies in his stomach at the thought of seeing Arrietty again. What would he say when he saw her? How would he-

He immediately cut off that train of thought. He should at least wait until she was within range of him. There was always a chance that something could go wrong, as many things already had during his journey. There was no point in stressing himself out further. Once he got on the raft,  _again_ , he would have time to dwell on such things.

Turning around, he gasped in surprise as he saw Suspiro standing right behind him with his sister by his side. "Oh, hey, you scared me."

It was more like they had snuck up on him. He the door  _had_  been closed. But it was their house; they had a right to go anywhere they wanted. But what if they had come in while he had been changing? That would have been mortifying; as if being seen naked once wasn't bad enough.

Actually, now that he thought about it, he'd found himself in the nude several times ever since he shrank.

"Apologies." Suspiro told him. "We were merely checking on you."

Shō smiled. "Well, I'm good. Ready to go whenever you are."

He took a step towards him, but Suspiro held up his hand to stop him. "About that. There's been a change of plans."

Shō blinked. "Um, ok. How so?"

"You won't be leaving. You'll be staying here with us."

It took Shō a moment to register what Suspiro was saying. "What are you talking about?"

"Lorelei has expressed her desire to have you as a husband." He told Shō plainly, causing his sister to blush horribly. "She has taken a liking to you and believes you will make a good husband. I am inclined to agree. Besides, this could be her only chance to get a husband. The odds of finding another suitor are so slim that it's not even worth considering."

Shō blinked again, his gaze shifting to Lori. Lori had taken a liking to him? As in a  _liking_  to him in that sense? He hadn't seen that coming, and he'd seen this confrontation coming even less. "Lori, is this… um, true?"

The young borrower hid behind her brother, embarrassed, but she was visible enough to see her head nod. "I… I really like you, Shō. I like you a lot, and I think we'd be really good together. I'll be a good wife, and I'll do everything I can to make you happy. So, please, will you stay… with me?"

Shō shifted uncomfortably, scratching his head as he tried to come up with a way to turn her down without hurting her. "Well… I'm flattered, really, but I can't do it."

Lori pouted. "Do you hate me?"

Shō looked shocked. "Of course I don't hate you! Why would you think that?"

"Then… do you like me?"

He sighed, seeing where this was going. "Of course I like you, just not like that. I'm sure you'll make someone a great wife someday, just not me."

"You could learn to love me!" Lori cried desperately. "I know that if you give me a chance, I could make you love me!"

Shō shook his head. "It's not about what I may or may not feel about you in the future. I'm in love with someone else. I'll never be able to live with myself if I pass this opportunity to be with her."

Not to mention that he'd return to his original size if Arrietty didn't return his love, but he couldn't tell them that.

"Illogical." Suspiro said. "What you plan to do does not make sense. You intend to travel to where you  _think_  the woman you love lives, in hopes that she will return your feelings, when she is already getting married to someone else tomorrow."

Shō couldn't help but smile nervously. "I know it sounds crazy, but when you feel like I do, you'll be willing to risk everything just for a chance at-"

"Illogical." Suspiro repeated. "You are taking such a risk when you have someone willing to be your wife right here. Furthermore," he pointed an accusing finger at Shō, "you are neglecting your duties to preserve the borrower race. Let the girl get married and start a family while you start one here. That's two new families to continue the borrower race. If you do stop the wedding and she does accept you, only one new family will form. The same will happen if she rejects you. We  _must_  preserve the borrower race to make sure that we as a species don't die out. It is your obligation to ensure that there are as many borrowers in the future as possible. Children are our future, and children from two families rather than one better our chances for our race's future."

Shō suddenly felt angry. He could understand the point Suspiro was trying to make, but he spoke too rationally, like this was a simply calculation that a computer could make. But he tried to hang onto his temper.

"I can see the wisdom in your words, but there are more important things. You can't base something like this on facts and figures. We are not animals that you simply stick together and breed. We are people with thoughts and feelings. We're meant to find happiness in life."

Suspiro's eyes narrowed. "You owe us your life. If not for me, you would be dead."

Shō winced at that, but he wouldn't let Suspiro guilt him into staying. "I'm very grateful to you for saving me, but I'm not signing my life over to you for it. If there's a way to repay you, I'll do it, but I won't give up the woman I love because you want me to, and it's not right for you to demand that I do."

Now Suspiro seemed to be getting angry. "How selfish can you be? You're willing to ignore your duty to our whole race, and reject my sister, just for a slim chance to get what you want."

"Duty should not rule your life." Shō countered. "Responsibility is important, but there is a limit. A person shouldn't have to give up their happiness out of obligation. We only get one life; we're supposed to make the most of it, and find as much happiness in it as we can." His expression softened. "Besides, I've been told that she's not happy with this arranged marriage. I won't let Arrietty be sad. I'll make sure she has a happy life, regardless of what that means for me. As long as she's happy, then I'll be happy."

The two stared each other down. Lori looked from her brother to Shō. She knew that her brother was not a patient person. She hoped he wouldn't take a swing at Shō.

But he didn't. Instead, he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Shō blinked in surprise, then he heard movement on the other side. When he went to open the door; it refused to budge.

"Hey… Hey! Let me out!"

"We're obviously not going to agree." Came Suspiro's voice from the other side. "I had hoped that you would listen to reason, but your love for this Arrietty is clouding your judgment. It seems that as long as you hang onto the false hope that you can be with your beloved, you won't see the sense in what I'm saying."

Shō banged on the door. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You will stay in there until this Arrietty girl's wedding has passed. I believe you said it was tomorrow at 2:00. You will stay in there until then. Afterwards, we'll be able to speak rationally."

Shō swore and kicked the door. "Let me out of here, now!"

On the other side of the door, Lori stayed locked onto her brother, looking at the door worriedly. She glanced at him nervously, seeming uncertain about all this. "Brother, are you sure this is a good idea?"

Suspiro showed no emotion. "They say that only fools fall in love because you become foolish when you're in love. He won't quit until his love is lost to him. Then he'll be able to see that our decision is the right one."

There was a loud  _thud_  followed by a groan on Shō's side, making Lori jump. It was followed by another, and another. Shō was throwing himself at the door with all his strength.

"What's that?" Lori asked.

"He's trying to break the door down." Her brother replied simply. "Don't worry, he'll never be able to. The door is locked and very solid." He patted the table they had pushed in front of the door. "And he'll never be able to move this on his own."

The constant  _thudding_  of Shō slamming into the door continued. Lori began wincing at the sound of each impact. If he kept this up, he was going to hurt himself.

"Will he be all right?"

"He'll be fine." Suspiro told her, turning away. "He'll wear himself out soon enough. Lets go."

"Lori!" Shō shouted from the other side. "Please let me out. This isn't right, you know it's not. I wish I could give you something in return for all you've done for me, but I'm not going to give up my freedom, and it's wrong to make me. You know this. Please, let me out."

Lori hesitated for a moment. "I'm sorry, Shō, but this is what's best for everyone. You'll understand eventually."

"Lori!"

She ignored him and hurried down the hall after her brother.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"Arrietty, just stop and think about this!" Homily cried. "You can't leave!"

"I have to." The young borrower replied. "He's in trouble, I just know it."

"You haven't seen or heard from him in six years. There's no possible way you could know he's in trouble. Trust me, dear, Shawn is fine."

"His name his  _Shō_ , Mama! And I  _know_  that something is wrong."

She couldn't possibly explain how she knew, but she did. That horrible feeling that something had happened to him earlier had not left her, and she was determine to go out and find him. She was already all packed up.

"Arrietty, be reasonable!" Homily turned to her husband. "Pod, do something!"

Her father had remained quiet for most of the argument, seeming to be deep in thought. With a sigh, he uncrossed his arms and looked at his wife. "Homily, let me deal with this."

His wife looked unsure. She gave her husband one last pleading look to reason with their daughter before she left. Pod waited until she was gone before looking at his daughter, who had once again gone back to gathering everything she needed for a long journey.

"Arrietty-"

"Don't try and talk me out of it, Papa! I know what I feel, and I'm going."

Pod didn't argue with her. "I'm not doubting what you're feeling; I'm just trying to understand. You say you feel that Shō is in trouble? Are you sure?"

"How many times do I have to say it? Yes! Call it whatever you want; instinct, intuition, a premonition, I don't know, nor do I care! All I know is that Shō needs help, and I'm going to help him!"

Pod calmly waited for her to finish raving before he spoke. "A borrower needs to have sharp instincts, and I don't doubt yours, but are you sure you're not just misinterpreting your feelings? Could it be that you're just afraid of letting him go since your wedding is so close and you're actually imagining what you're feeling?"

Arrietty stopped. She took a moment to search her feelings before shaking her head and getting back to work. "No, Papa, it's nothing like that. Shō is really in trouble."

Pod nodded. "Very well. I won't argue with you on that, but let me ask you a question. Just what can you do to help him?" She stopped, and he knew he had to seize the opportunity. "Exactly what will going after him accomplish? He's a bean, a giant compared to us. What can you, a borrower, do for him that he or another bean can't? He's also somewhere in this big world, and you have no idea where, or how to get to him if you did." He placed his hands on his daughter's shoulders. "Truly, what good would it do for you to go out there? What could you possibly do besides endanger yourself? Besides, you know he wouldn't want you to put yourself in danger for him."

A few seconds of silence passed before Arrietty turned back to him with tears running down her cheeks. "Oh, Papa, what am I going to do? I feel like I have to do something, but what?" She wiped her eyes, but more tears fell from her eyes. "What should I do, Papa? What should I do? I love him so much, and I'm so worried about him."

Her father gave her a sympathetic look and held out his arms. Arrietty ran into them, and Pod held her as she cried.

They were interrupted a few minutes later by Spiller coming in the room. "I back!" His smile dropped from his face when he saw Arrietty crying in her father's arms. "What wrong with Arrie?"

Pod glanced at the wild borrower. "Nothing, Spiller. She'll be fine." He replied, stroking his daughter's hair soothingly. "She'll be fine."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"So he's decided to stay?" Duds asked.

Suspiro nodded as he made sure his father was comfortable in bed. "Yes, he's agreed to marry Lorelei."

Duds turned to his daughter. "Is this true?"

Lori bit her lip, choosing her words carefully. She always had a problem with lying, especially to her father. "Y-Yes, he thought it would be in everyone's best interest."

"You don't say." Duds crossed his arms. "It's strange that he would agree to this. I could see how in love he is with his Arrietty. So why would he suddenly change his mind?"

"It wasn't suddenly, Father." Suspiro told him. "He and I had a long talk, and he's taken the time to think it over. He agrees that his journey was a fool's errand. Why travel so far for a woman who's marrying someone else when he's not even sure if she returns his feelings? Especially when Lorelei is willing to be his bride. It makes more sense to stay here and start a family with her and leaving this Arrietty to wed whoever her intended is and start her own family with him. It'll also increase the borrower race by one more family. Every borrower counts if we want to preserve our race."

Duds thought this over. "How very selfless of him. To give up on his love to benefit others. I can't imagine how hard this must be on the poor boy." He began to get out of bed. "I think I should go talk to him."

Suspiro placed his hand on his father's shoulder, stopping him. "No, Father. He doesn't want to see anyone right now. He said he wants to be alone. He's feeling rather depressed right now, but he's sure of his decision."

"I see." Duds replied, sliding back down in bed. "Well, I suppose that's understandable." He looked at his daughter. "Lori."

She jumped. "Y-Yes, F-Father?" Her voice came out in a squeak.

"Shō is making a huge sacrifice for us and our race." His thoughts turned to his dead wife. "One so great that you couldn't even imagine. It'll be up to all of us, and you especially, to make him as happy as possible. Is that understood?" He looked at his son. "And this goes for both of you."

Suspiro nodded. "Of course, Father," he said without hesitation.

Lori looked uncertain for a moment, then she nodded too. "Yes, Father."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Shō hadn't given up as Suspiro predicted. After he and Lori had refused to let him out, Shō had tried to find another way, only to discover that there wasn't one. There were no windows, no other doors, no secret passages, nothing. The one door that seemed to be locked, and with something resting against it, was the only way in or out. So Shō had resumed his task of trying to break it down.

He'd been at it for hours, but that was one very solid door. His shoulder ached terribly from slamming into it, and he was exhausted. No doubt he'd be badly bruised tomorrow. His strength eventually gave out on him completely, and he collapsed, literally unable to stand up any longer; his legs just wouldn't support him.

Even then, he didn't stop. He dragged himself across the floor and over to the door, where he resumed banging against it. But as time passed, his pounding got weaker and weaker, until, finally, his tired and aching body could go on no longer and he dropped off into unconsciousness. He passed out right there against the door, his arm still raised to pound against it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Those of you that didn't hate Suspiro and Lori before, probably do now, or at least Suspiro. The whole keeping Shō hostage thing is basically his doing, not Lori's. She doesn't like it, but she's going along with it because she's desperate. And now they've lied to their father about it while they've locked Shō in the room, and he literally passed out from overexertion. And poor Arrietty. She's been freaking out ever since she got that bad feeling three chapters back, but her father is right, what can she do by leaving? By the way, who saw my joke about Homily calling Shō by his American name? I just couldn't resist. Stay tuned for the next chapter to see what happens.)


	14. Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: It seems more people have begun to dislike Lori and Suspiro since last chapter. Well, more so Suspiro than Lori, but I expected that. I'm not trying to make him out to be a villain, simply an antagonist. Hmm, i guess that's kind of the same thing. Ah, whatever. Lets see how things progress from here.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 14: Escape**

It was late at night. The pounding had stopped a little over an hour ago. Lori was concerned that Shō may have hurt himself, but Suspiro had simply assured her that he had most likely  _finally_  given up and gone to bed.

"It's about time too." He muttered. "I'm just glad Father didn't hear all that noise he was making."

Lori shifted uncomfortably. "Maybe we were wrong to do this."

Her brother raised an eyebrow. "It was your idea."

"Yeah, but…" But she hadn't expected this.

"No buts." Suspiro told her. "However he feels about this, or even how you feel about it now, it's still the most logical and affective thing to do. I just wish he would see it."

Lori looked in the direction of her brother's room where Shō was locked away. "Maybe I'll go check on him, just to see if he's all right."

"No." Suspiro told her. "Leave him be. I'm telling you, he's fine. If you wake him up, he may cause more trouble." He yawned. "It's really late. I'm going to bed, and I suggest you do the same. In the morning, when he realizes his opportunity to stop the wedding has passed, he'll be in a much more agreeable mood. He'll see reason then."

He stretched out on the couch with his hands behind his head. A few minutes later, Lori heard him snoring softly. She decided to take his advice and go to bed. Once she was ready, she crept down the hall to the room Shō was confined in. As quietly as she could, she pulled the table back and unlocked the door to peek inside, regardless of her Suspiro's warning.

Shō was not in bed as her brother thought. For a fleeting moment, Lori thought he had somehow managed to escape. Then she noticed him asleep on the floor right by the door. Or perhaps passed out would have been a more accurate description. The poor boy had kept trying to break the door down until he finally fell unconscious. A wave of guilt flowed over Lori as she looked down at him.

"Oh, Shō…" she whispered, feeling tears threaten to fall. "Do you really love her that much?"

Not wanting to wake him up, she wiped her eyes and backed out of the room. Shutting the door, she pushed the table back in front of it and headed for bed. She couldn't shake the feeling that what she was doing was just plain cruel. But there was no going back now, no undoing what may have been a mistake. But she vowed that she would make up for it. She would do just what her father said and make Shō happy. She would be the best wife ever, and a good mother to their children. She would do everything she could to see that Shō forgot his love for Arrietty and loved her instead. Yes, she would make him happy.

She hadn't realized that in addition to pushing the table back that she had forgotten to lock the door.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Shō would have ended up sleeping a lot longer than he did, but his protesting body refused to allow. He groaned as the comfort of sleep left him. He was still so tired. He'd been up well into the night trying to break down the door and needed the sleep; not to mention he had completely exhausted all of his strength.

But he was paying for it now. He was incredibly sore, and he wasn't sleeping in the most comfortable of positions either, not to mention he was on the hard wood floor. And his aching body disturbed him enough to wake him up.

Feeling weak, Shō's eyes cracked open. He was in the same place as he was last night; right in front of the door where he had passed out. He cursed his body for giving out on him last night. He had wanted to keep going, to keep trying to escape, but his body hadn't let him. Unable to keep up with the physical exertion, it had shut down his brain for the night.

But it seemed as if his body still wanted to keep going, and the aches it was feeling had reactivated his brain. He was awake now, with renewed strength. He still had time. He hadn't returned to his normal size. That would have been disastrous if he had. Forget explaining his sudden change in size to Duds and his family, he'd probably crush them.

Reaching up, he grabbed hold of doorknob, using it to help him get to his feet. The knob turned, and the door opened slightly, coming in contact with the table on the other side.

Shō's gaze instantly shifted to the small amount the door had opened. It wasn't locked anymore! He knew it had been last night. Had Lori or Suspiro checked on him while he was out and forget to lock it again? That had to be it.

There was no time to lose.

Grabbing Arrietty's hairclip, he strapped it around his waist again and began to push open the door, trying to be as quiet as possible. It opened more and more, the legs of the table squeaking as they rubbed across the floor. He made enough room to allow himself space to slip through.

Finally he was free, and very short on time. He tiptoed through the house, doing his best not to make any noise. He had no idea what time it was. Was it still early? Were the others still asleep? He hoped so.

But the sound of voices coming from another room dashed his hopes. They were up all right. He hoped he wouldn't run into them. The last thing he wanted was to get in a fight. Although he had built up his body's strength over the years, he wasn't a fighter.

Fortunately, he managed to slip out of the house without being caught. He found himself in a dusty attic that looked like it hadn't been used in years. Countless boxes and a great deal of junk filled the room.

In the corner, he saw an old grandfather clock. He saw that it was 11:14. That meant he had less than three hours before the spell wore off! And Duds had told him that the trip would take about eight hours. It was too late.

Shō felt despair begin to settle in as he collapsed to his knees. He'd missed his chance. There was no way he'd make it in time. If only he hadn't passed out last night, maybe he would still have a chance. But there was nothing he could do now. Arrietty was lost to him forever.

" _It sounds to me like you're giving up."_  Said a voice in the back of his head that sounded a lot like hers.

Was he giving up, or was he simply facing reality? No, he had definitely been about to give up. This was just what he had done six years ago before his operation. He had resigned himself to death; that the heart transplant wasn't going to be successful, that there was no hope left.

He forced himself to get up. It was  _not_  over yet. He wasn't going to give up. There could still be a chance. He didn't see how he could possibly make it in time, but that didn't mean that he couldn't. Until he was restored to his original size, he wouldn't quit.

But how to get there from here? Maybe… maybe if he just continued on his way, he could hitch a ride on a passing car that was going in the same direction. Perhaps, if he was lucky, they would even be going to the park.

' _I'm grasping at straws now.'_  He thought. But who knew if some miracle would happen and get him there in time. First he had to get out of this attack though.

The sound of the wind blowing caught his attention. He spotted a window with the glass broken, as if someone had hit a baseball through it. He remembered Lori saying something about a broken window. And there was a nice pile junk piled up next to it that he could climb up.

His gaze returned to the clock. It was 11:16 now. He'd wasted about two minutes. Every second counted. He had to go. Now!

He made a sprint for the window, not bothering to take cover anywhere. There was no point. Duds had told him that the elderly couple that lived here never came up here.

Halfway there, he felt something wrap around his feet and he went sprawling to the ground. His feet were tied together by a thread that had been tied into a lasso. Looking up, he saw Suspiro walking towards him, having been the one to rope him like a common farm animal. Right behind him was Lori.

"You're persistent." Suspiro told him. "I would have thought that you'd have learned your lesson by now."

Shō didn't have time for this and began struggling to free his feet. "I'm not playing, Suspiro. Just let me leave."

Suspiro shook his head. "We talked about this. We need you here. The borrower race needs you here. How can you only think of yourself?"

"I'm not!" Shō argued back. "I'm thinking about Arrietty. I have to save her. I'll make sure she has a fulfilling life; whether she returns my feelings or not."

Suspiro tugged on the rope, bringing Shō closer. "You need to come back to the real world. You can't always get what you want. Life isn't always about finding happiness. There are more important things. Besides," he glanced at the clock, "it's too late. You'll never make it now."

Shō glared at him. "Well I have to try. As long as there's time, even if there's not enough of it, I have to try."

Suspiro groaned. "How irritating. I guess I'm going to have to tie you up."

Shō freed his foot and got to his feet. "You can try it."

Lori took a step forward. "Please, Shō, don't fight with him. Just come back inside with us. We can all be happy together."

Shō gave her a serious look. "Do you really believe that Lori? Do you really think that either of us will be happy if we force things like this? We'll just end up feeling resentful towards each other."

"You don't know that!" Lori argued. "We could learn to love each other. We can forget the past and have a future together. We could…"

She trailed off as she watched Shō shake his head. "I'm sorry, Lori, but you can't force love. You can't force someone to love you, and you can't force yourself to stop loving anyone. If we could, I would have done it long ago. I know how impossible my journey seems; I know it would have been easier if I could just forget my feelings, but that's not the way it works. Even if I did end up marrying you, I would still love Arrietty. I'd pine away for her for the rest of my life, and I'd never be able to forgive either of you for taking my chance away from me. Could you be married to someone like that?"

Lori was silent, but she didn't back down.

"Enough of this." Suspiro grumbled. "I'm not going to stand here and listen to a bunch of 'what if' scenarios. Shō, are you going to come back willingly, or am I going to have to drag you back?"

Shō shook his head. "I'm sorry, Suspiro. I'm grateful to you for saving me, but I can't go along with this."

Suspiro wound up the thread. "Fine, I guess we do this the hard way."

"Do what the hard way?"

The color visibly drained from both Suspiro and Lori's faces. Duds was limping over to them, supporting himself on his cane. He eyed his children suspiciously, sensing that something was going on.

"What's happening here?"

"Father," Suspiro said calmly once he regained his composure, "you should be in bed. And you shouldn't be outside in your condition."

"Don't you tell me what I should and shouldn't be doing, young man. And don't try and change the subject. I asked what's going on here. Now start talking."

Lori looked like a deer caught in the headlights, but Suspiro had completely recovered from the surprise of their father's unexpected arrival. "Nothing, Father. We're just having a… minor disagreement with our friend here and are trying to make him see the light."

Shō resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Suspiro called keeping him from the woman he loved and forcing him into marriage as something 'minor'? He wondered what the guy would consider serious.

Duds limped over to them. "And what 'minor disagreement' would require 'the hard way' to settle?" Before his son could answer, Duds held up a hand to silence him. "I'll not hear your lies." His angry gaze settled on his daughter. "Or yours. Shō, please explain what's going on."

Shō sighed. He didn't want to cause a big family argument, but he couldn't exactly make the situation any less severe than it was, nor did he have the time. "It seems they want me to stay and marry Lori. As flattered as I am, I need to go to Arrietty. We're just discussing what the… best thing to do would be."

Duds whirled around on his children. "You told me that he had decided to stay. Now I hear from him that he still wishes to go to his ladylove. Did the two of you lie to me?"

"Father," Suspiro said loudly, "it makes more sense for him to stay here. It's ridiculous to go out there and possibly face death for a woman that he doesn't even know if she returns his feelings or not. Especially when she's already getting married in a matter of hours. It would be more beneficial to everyone if he stays here and marries Lorelei."

His father stared at him a moment, then whacked him across the shins with his cane. Suspiro yelped in pain, then cried out again as Duds began smacking him over the head with his cane.

"You stupid, incompetent, self-righteous, lousy excuse of a man! You tried to keep him here so he would miss the wedding, didn't you?"

Suspiro backed away from his father's wrath. "He wouldn't see sense! He's so dead set on going that he wouldn't see the better option until his little girlfriend was lost to him!"

"Stubborn, self-centered fool!" Duds shouted. "I'm ashamed of you!" He looked at his daughter. "Both of you! I thought I heard banging and screaming last night. You kept him prisoner, didn't you? Oh boy, are you both going to get it."

Lori worked up the nerve to come to her brother's rescue. "But, Father, I really like Shō. And what are the odds of us meeting another borrower? This could be my one and only chance to get a husband and start a family."

Duds rounded on her. "And what about him?" he demanded, pointing his cane at Shō. "What about what he wants? You're willing to sacrifice his happiness for your own? How selfish can you be?"

Lori winced at her father's harsh tone. "I… I could have made him happy."

"IT IS NOT FOR YOU TO DECIDE WHAT MAKES  _HIM_  HAPPY!" he bellowed. "And how dare you, either of you, presume to know his heart!" He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Lori, I do want you to be happy. I would love for you to find a husband and start a family of your own. But not at Shō's expense."

"I saved his life." Suspiro pointed out. "He owes us."

This was obviously the wrong thing to say. Duds' eyes widened with disbelief and he began limping over to his son. "What? What's that? You better not have said what I think you said, young man! You saved his life, and you think that means he owes it to you? That is not how things work! You saved his life because it was the right thing to do! You don't do it with for any other reason, and you certainly don't expect something in return! Shame on you! Both of you! I swear I'm going to break my other leg kicking your behinds."

"And what of our race?" Suspiro demanded. "It's our duty to preserve our race. If he goes to his girlfriend, whether she accepts him or rejects him, only one new generation of borrowers will come of it. If he stays here, we'll have a new generation from two different families. It's simple mathematics."

Duds pointed a finger at him. "Let me tell you something, sonny. Our race is doomed to extinction regardless of what happens. You want to use mathematics, fine then, we'll use it. The fact of the matter is that there are just far too few borrowers left in the world. No matter how hard we try to preserve our race, one day, borrowers will be extinct." He held up his hand to stop the protests. "No, don't argue with me. It's true. It may not be for many years yet, but our race will eventually die out. There's nothing we can do about it. It may be hard to accept, but that's the truth of it."

Suspiro opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to come up with something to say. "E-Even if what you say is true, we have a responsibility to preserve our race for as long as possible."

Duds banged his cane on the ground. "We are not animals! We do not simply breed to keep our kind around! Life is about finding happiness. We only get one life to live, and we are meant to get as much joy out of it as we can. Everything else is secondary. And those of us that are lucky to find love have the right to be with that person, and no one has the right to take that from them. Perhaps you don't understand because you've never been in love before, but I have. I loved your mother dearly. When she died, it nearly destroyed me. I would trade my own life for hers. I would have done anything for her, regardless if it was beneficial to the borrower race or not. I'm not saying that our race isn't important, but there are more important things. And you've interfered with one of them. Now, get off your pedestal, and stop making decisions that  _you_  think someone else should make."

He was breathing heavily now, having exerted himself during his speech. Turning away from his children, he limped over to Shō, bowing to him in apology. "I am deeply sorry for what my children did to you, my friend, and I humbly ask your forgiveness. They may be foolish, but their intentions were not wicked, regardless of how it may have seemed."

Shō gave the borrower a grateful smile. "I do forgive you." He looked at Lori and Suspiro. "All of you. I could honestly see where you were coming from and understand how you feel. If circumstances were different, I may even have gone along with your idea." His smile became sad. "But things are different, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I love Arrietty, and there's nothing I can do to change that."

Duds nodded. "I understand perfectly. To be without the one you love…" He trailed off, thinking about his dead wife, and sighed. "Nothing is worth the price. I once again apologize to you. If there is anything my children or I could do to make it up to you, tell me and it shall be done."

Shō looked hopeful. "Actually, I still need help getting to the park, if you know of a way I could get there fast."

A deep look of sadness appeared in Duds' eyes as he looked at Shō. "I'm… sorry, my boy, but I'm afraid it's not possible."

Shō frowned. "What do you mean?"

Duds glanced at the clock. It was 11:28. "I'm afraid there's no way for you to make it to the park in time. You can't possibly make it there in two and a half hours. I hate to say it, but it looks like your beloved truly is lost to you." He glared at Lori and Suspiro. "No thanks to my children." He turned back to Shō and his expression softened. "I know you had your heart set on getting to your Arrietty, but it really is impossible. You may hate us now, but you are still welcome here."

Shō felt his stomach clench. He didn't want to hear those words. He knew it was a billion to one chance that he would make it before the spell wore off, but to actually hear someone else say it made it seem so final. He didn't want to give up, but in all honesty, what could he do?

One thing was for sure, he certainly couldn't stay here. He didn't know what Duds and his family would do once he returned to his original size. They'd probably move away like Arrietty's family did.

But maybe hope wasn't lost. Maybe when the fortuneteller came for payment, he'd be able to strike up another deal. He'd empty his entire bank account and live a life of debt if that's what it took. But somehow he knew that this had been a one-time thing and he wouldn't get another chance, regardless of what he was willing to pay.

Suspiro spoke up. "Then perhaps things worked out for the best after all. Now that his love is out of reach, he can marry Lorelei like we planned."

Lori shifted uncomfortably. Guilt ate at her, heightened by her father's speech, and even further from the heartbroken look on Shō's face. She hated herself right now, and wished she had never gone to her brother with her foolish idea. She had been selfish and desperate, she knew that now, and wanted to make it right.

"The birds!" she said loudly. "You can ride the birds to the park."

"Quiet!" Suspiro shouted angrily at her.

Lori shook her head. "No, Brother. I need to make this right. What we did was very wrong." She looked at her father and Shō. "Father, Shō can ride to the park on one of the sparrows. They'll be able to get him there fast enough."

"The birds?" Duds repeated. Tapping his chin, he looked up at an old lamp that had a bird's nest on top of it. "Yes, I suppose that could work. You could get there very quickly that way. Perhaps in about a half an hour."

Shō felt his stomach drop at the thought of riding a bird. But if it was the only way…

Suspiro crossed his arms. "Father, be reasonable. Flying is dangerous for someone without experience. I'm not saying this in an attempt to keep him here. You know what I'm saying is true. What if he crashes it into something, or what if he falls off?"

Shō gulped. Neither of those possibilities sounded appeasing. "Couldn't, uh, couldn't I just ride behind you or something?"

Suspiro shook his head. "It'll never be able to carry that much weight for long. It'll only be able to go a few feet before it collapses. It could never make it to the park carrying two of us. You were lucky you were right outside the house when I picked you up, and even then the poor bird was exhausted. The park is miles away. We'd never make it."

"I'm afraid he's right, my boy." Duds admitted. "The poor thing would collapse under that much weight." He thought about it a moment. "However, if you're willing to risk it, we could give you a quick crash course on how to ride, and then you and Suspiro could take different birds there. It'll be risky and very dangerous without proper training, but I'm afraid there's no other choice."

Shō looked up at the bird nest. Never had he imagined that he would be riding a bird. Before Duds had even told if it was possible, he didn't even think it could be done. Should he really risk taking such a dangerous mode of transportation?

He'd already walked far, floated down a stream, gotten carried off by humans, traveled in a car, gotten thrown out, faced a dog, climbed a phone cord, battled a mosquito, gotten kicked, used gum to bungee jump, fought off a crow, almost drowned, and nearly fell to his death. Should he risk flying?

He groaned miserably. "Sure," he muttered, "why not?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Lori has acknowledged that what they did was wrong and is trying to redeem herself. It was mostly her brother's doing anyway. She just told him what she wanted, and he did the rest. But Daddy isn't happy, and he's laid down the law. Now it looks like the only way Shō can reach Arrietty in time is to ride on the back of a sparrow. And Suspiro is going to be guiding him. Is this really a good idea? Maybe, maybe not, but Shō's run out of options.)


	15. Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I have some important information for you at the end of this chapter. I was debating on two different ways to go about things, and decided on the current one. But I still wanted to run my original idea by you guys at the end, so stay tuned for that.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 15: Confrontation**

"Want to run through it one more time?" Duds asked.

Shō gulped nervously. "No thanks. At this point I'd just be putting it off. I'd rather just get it over with." He glanced at the clock. It was 1:04. "Besides, I'm running out of time."

"Yes," Duds agreed, "I suppose you should get a move on. It was wonderful meeting you. Good luck to you, my boy. Say hello to your lady friend."

Shō shook the man's hand. "I don't know how I can thank you enough, sir. Not only do I owe you my life, but I owe you my love life."

Duds chuckled. "Think nothing of it, my boy. Think nothing of it. But if you really want to repay me, you can do it by living a long and happy life with your girl. Nothing is worth losing a loved one. Don't lose hope until she actually says 'I do' to someone else."

Shō smiled. "Thanks for your encouragement."

Lori shyly stepped forward. "Um, Shō, I want you to know that I really am very sorry for what we did to you. Could you ever forgive us?"

Placing his hand on her shoulder, Shō gave her a comforting smile. "I do forgive you, and I understand why you did it. It must be hard when you think you'll be alone forever and never find love. I can relate to that." Lori looked down and Shō lifted her head so she looked at him again. "Hey, don't lose hope. No matter how much the odds aren't in your favor, you can't ever give up. Even a small chance is still a chance, and it can come to be. Arrietty taught me that." He winked at her. "Trust me. I know you'll find a good husband one day. It's just not going to be me."

Lori smiled sadly and wiped her eyes. "Thank you, Shō." She lowered her voice so only he would hear. "And please don't think too badly of my brother. He never used to be like this. He really closed himself off after mother died. Father says it's to hide from the pain, but he's cut himself off emotionally. He became really cold to everyone, but he's still a good person."

He gave he an understanding smile. "Don't worry, I know how hard it is to lose a parent."

From on top of Screech, Suspiro tapped his fingers impatiently. "If we're going to go, lets go already. Or would you rather press your luck by wasting even more time?"

Shō supposed that was his own way of showing that he cared. Suspiro was an interesting character all right, but he really did need to work on his people skills.

Walking over to Sir Chirps-A-Lot, Shō climbed onto the small bird. Both sparrows had a type of saddle attached to their backs. It wasn't that much different from a horse saddle, with a few adjustments and extra attributes. A rope attached Shō's sparrow to Suspiro's. This would allow him to guide Shō's bird the right way. It would be a lot easier than teaching Shō how to ride properly.

Once he was strapped in, Shō waved goodbye to Duds and Lori. "So long! Thanks for everything!"

"Goodbye." Duds waved. "Have a good life."

"Bye, Shō!" Lori shouted. "Good luck with your girlfriend!"

He gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks."

Suspiro tugged on the reigns of his bird. "Lets go!"

Screech took flight. The rope tugged, and Sir Chirps-A-Lot took to the air as well. Shō cried out as they left the ground, holding on for dear life. If he hadn't been strapped on, he would have fallen for sure. He grabbed the reigns and tried to balance the sparrow out as the rope guided him in the right direction.

They flew out the hole in the window and were suddenly outside. They were on their way.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

From up on the rooftop, the fortuneteller watched as Shō and Suspiro disappeared into the distance. Looking down at her crystal ball, she stroked it affectionately.

"An interesting turn of events." She said to no one in particular. "He's certainly been through a lot. But it all helped to get him prepared for the life as a borrower, for however long he'll have left."

She nonchalantly ran her nail over the crystal ball. Soon the reunion between Shō and Arrietty would happen. She was almost positive that Arrietty would choose Shō. She had read the young borrower's emotions and felt the love she had for the boy. It was unfortunate that if she did choose him that it would break Spiller's heart. Then again, someone's heart would be broken no matter who the girl chose.

Truthfully though, it didn't really matter to her what happened. She was a neutral party in all this. It was no concern to her. Once the decision was made, she would collect her debt and vanish from all of their lives, just as she'd always done.

"Guess it's about that time." She sighed. Then she disappeared.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"That's it!" Shō shouted to be heard over the wind. "That's the tree!"

"Are you sure?" Suspiro asked.

"What?"

"I asked if you were sure!" Suspiro said louder.

"Yes!" Shō called back. "That's the memorial tree! Take us down!"

Suspiro directed Screech to land. The rope tugged on Sir Chirps-A-Lot, and the sparrow followed its companion down. They landed on a branch, and Shō hopped off. He felt a little woozy. Flying around like that was definitely not his thing. How Duds had ever decided to try it, let alone master it, was a complete mystery to him. Shō hoped he would never have to do that again.

Once he was steady on his feet, he turned to Suspiro. Truthfully, he had been a little concerned that Suspiro would try and sabotage his reunion with Arrietty, but he hadn't, proving what Lori said about him being a good person, just very cold and unfeeling. "Thanks for everything. I couldn't have done it without you."

The borrower just humphed. "Well, I did owe you after what I put you through. I admit that it was wrong, but I'm not sorry. I was thinking in my sister's best interests, and in what would be best for the borrower race, and I won't apologize for that."

Shō gave him a smile. The truth was, he could see things from Suspiro's point of view. He wasn't a bad person, he just thought he was doing what was best. Had circumstances been different, had he not been in love with Arrietty, and not been about to return to his normal size, he may even have been inclined to agree with Suspiro and go along with his plan to wed him to Lori. But things were different, and Shō couldn't change them.

"Well, I forgive you anyway." He said. "Tell your father and sister goodbye and thank you again for me, will you?"

Suspiro sighed. "If I must." He grunted.

And then he was off again, taking the two birds with him. Shō watched them go, waving as they disappeared upon then horizon.

This was it. He was all alone again. And he was here. He could finally see Arrietty again. That in itself would make the whole trip worthwhile. Even if she did turn him down, if he could just see her one last time…

' _I don't have time to stall.'_  He thought to himself.  _'I've got to find a way inside.'_

He heard a sound behind him and turned around, crying out in surprise. Hanging upside down from a branch above him was a rather savage looking borrower. Shō stumbled back, nearly falling off the branch, as he looked up at this borrower. At least he knew he was in the right place.

Spiller dropped from the branch he was hanging from onto the one Shō was on, landing on his feet. He looked at Shō with a curious expression, blinking a few times. He reached out and poked Shō with his finger, as if to test and see that he was really there.

"Um… hi." Shō said.

Spiller grunted in greeting, looking Shō over again. "Who you? Why you here?"

His child-like speech surprised Shō. "Oh, I'm not anyone bad. I don't mean you any harm."

"No harm." Spiller agreed, also letting Shō know that he meant no harm either. "You look familiar. We met?"

"I don't think so."

"Hmm." Spiller studied him some more, then stood up straight and puffed out his chest, thumping his fist against it. "I Spiller."

Spiller? Why did that name sound familiar? Wasn't that the name of…?

' _Arrietty's fiancé!'_  Shō remembered.

Wow, this was awkward. He hadn't really thought about this part. He had basically come here in hope of stealing this guy's bride-to-be. Yes, very awkward indeed. How exactly was he supposed to go about doing this? He prayed that he wouldn't have to fight the guy for Arrietty's hand. He knew that some cultures did that, but he had no idea what the borrower custom was. If Spiller and he did end up fighting, there was no way he could win. He may not be a sick weakling anymore, but Spiller was huge, and ripped. He'd tear him apart.

"You have name?" Spiller asked.

Shō blinked. "What? Oh, yeah. I'm Shō."

"Shoe?" Spiller repeated. He looked down at Shō's feet at the pair of shoes Duds had given him. "Yes, nice shoes."

Shō snickered. "No, not shoe. Shō. My name is Shō.

"Sh-ou?" Spiller repeated, dragging his name out.

"Yeah, that's it. Shō."

"Shō, Shō, Shō." Spiller muttered. He scratched his chin, wondering where he heard the name before.

"Um…" Shō began, trying to come up with the best way to make his request. "I, um, I came here to see Arrietty. Is she here?"

"Arrie?" That's when it clicked. Spiller's mouth dropped open in surprise and he glared at Shō. "It you! You the bean boy Arriey talk about!"

Shō took a step back, not liking Spiller's angry tone. "Uh, yeah, that's me."

Now Spiller knew where he had seen the boy before. It had been six years ago when he had helped the Clock family move. Before she had joined them, Arrietty had gone off to speak with a bean of all things. The bean hadn't hurt her, as Spiller had first been afraid he was going to, but simply talked back. This was the same bean; he could see that now. He was older, and several sizes too small, but it was still him.

Spiller growled angrily, but then he looked curious. "Hey, how come you so small? You big bean last time."

Shō rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Yeah, that's kind of a long story. I'll explain everything later though. But I really need to see Arrietty right away."

Spiller's glare returned. "No, no see Arrie. You the one who always make Arrie so sad. She sad all the time because you."

Shō frowned. "I don't want to make her sad. I never wanted that."

"Spiller not let Arrie be sad anymore. She see you, she be sad again. You go away."

"Spiller, please." Shō begged.

"No, leave now, or I make you leave."

"I don't want any trouble."

"No trouble. Just go now."

Shō tried to think of a plan. Spiller wasn't going to let him anywhere near Arrietty. It didn't seem to be out of jealousy. Spiller just seemed to genuinely want to protect her. He thought seeing him again would make her sad, so he wanted to keep him away.

"I can't leave." He said. "Not until I see her. I came so far, endured so much."

"She hurting!" Spiller shouted angrily. "She hurt when she think about you. Seeing you again make it worse. I no let happen. Go now, or I carry you down tree."

He could do it too. If Spiller wanted to, he could toss Shō over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and throw him right out the door, or whatever the entrance to tree was. The guy was big enough and strong enough to do it. But Shō couldn't back down. He was almost out of time.

"Spiller-"

"No more talk."

He made a grab for him. Shō back away. Spiller kept coming, his arms outstretched. Shō couldn't fight him off. He didn't think Spiller would hurt him, but he wasn't going to let himself get caught.

"Come here." Spiller demanded.

"Get away from me."

He ran across the branch, but he was quickly running out of room. He didn't want to risk going too far out; the end of the branch might snap under his weight.

Spiller seemed to be thinking the same thing. "No go farther out. Branch get too thin, might break."

It was already bending slightly from their combined weight. Shō looked to the next closest branch. This far out, it was a bit of a distance away, but he was running out of options.

He jumped, landing on the branch. He lost his balance and nearly fell, but managed to drop down and wrap his arms around the branch, steadying himself. Once the branch stopped swaying, he was able to stand up again.

Spiller grunted. He didn't want to risk jumping on the same branch and cause it to shake any further. "Stop it. That dangerous. You fall."

Shō let out a humorless chuckle. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time."

He got another grunt in reply. Spiller crossed his arms and stared at him. "Why you no leave. Why must you make Arrie sad?"

He kept calling her Arrie. Did he call her that because his speech was bad and it was easier to say, or was it a pet name? He felt a pang of jealousy at the latter thought. "Why do you call her Arrie?"

Spiller looked surprised. He was confused with the topic change. "Arrie is Arrie. Arria has always been Arrie. So she Arrie." She shook his head. "Hey, you no distract Spiller. I ask why you want make Arrie sad."

"I don't." Shō insisted. "I came to make sure she was happy, or to make her happy if she wasn't."

"You no make her happy." Spiller argued back. "You make her sad. Let Arrie forget about you, then she be happy."

"That's not what I heard. I was told that she wasn't happy and that I could change that. That's why I'm here."

Spiller looked at him suspiciously. "Why you care if Arrie happy anyway? You just a big bean now small. Why you care?"

"Because," Shō said insistently, "because I love her!"

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Arrietty was looking for Spiller. Being the bride had a lot more work involved than being the groom, but there were still things Spiller had to do. And her mother needed Spiller right now, so she had sent her daughter to find him since she couldn't take a moment from all the wedding preparations.

Well, she hadn't found him anywhere in the tree. She decided to check the branches. If he wasn't out there, then he was out borrowing and her mother would just have to wait for him to come back.

Opening the hidden entrance, Arrietty stepped outside. "Spiller, are you out here?"

She looked high and low, left and right, but didn't see him. Perhaps he was on the other side of the tree. Unless he went inside just as she coming outside. That would figure.

Rather than going back through the tree, she began hopping the branches. This close to the trunk, the branches were big enough and thick enough to jump from, run along, and climb without fear of breaking them. Her mother had a heart attack every time she did it though.

' _Poor Mama. She worries way too much. It's no wonder her hair is turning gray.'_

As she jumped from branch to branch, she circled around the tree enough to see Spiller. He was standing towards the end of the branches. To her astonishment, he was talking to another borrower.

She couldn't believe her eyes. There was actually another borrower here. How in the world did that happen? Where did he come? How did he get here? How did he get  _up_  here without going through the tree? Maybe he did and they just never knew that they had a visitor.

She began running and jumping faster, eager to meet this new person. She felt so excited. Sure she loved being with her family and Spiller, but she never got to meet anyone new, and she was thrilled to get to talk to someone else.

As she got closer, she heard their voices. They were still too far away for her to make out what they said, but it almost sounded like they were arguing. That was weird. What would they be arguing about? Did Spiller know this borrower?

She waved her arms, trying to get their attention as she opened her mouth to call to them. That's when she got a good look at the other borrower, and she froze. The guy was a dead ringer for Shō. An older version of him, yes, but Shō all the same.

Her legs felt wobbly and she grew faint. She stumbled a bit, getting too close to the edge. Losing her balance, she fell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Ah, cliffhanger. You probably hate me for that. And you'll have to wait until next chapter to find out what happens. There's also a twist in the next chapter, one I've dropped small hints to throughout the story. Anyway, I mentioned in the Author's Note at the beginning that I had another idea that I rejected. I was originally going reveal that Suspiro was actually Lori's adopted brother from former neighbors that died that Duds chose to raise, and Suspiro would have been in love with Lori, but always kept quiet since she wouldn't have known that they weren't blood related, which would be why Suspiro was always so unfeeling, because he was trying to hide his feelings, but still wanted to do whatever it took to make Lori happy. Anyway, I rejected that idea because I thought it was too manga-cliché, and I wanted to make things more realistic, so I settled with Suspiro simply having closed himself off from everyone since his mother died instead. Anyway, I was just wondering what people thought of that idea. So let me know, and stay tuned for next chapter.)


	16. Rescue and Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Happy fourth of July everyone! Unless you're not reading this today and it's no longer the fourth. Ah, that sounded lame. Lets just get to the story.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 16: Rescue and Reunion**

A piercing scream distracted Shō and Spiller. Turning in the direction of the scream, they were both horrified to see the girl they both loved fall from the branch.

"Arrie/Arrietty!" they cried.

The girl fell, mercifully not crashing into any other branches on her way down, until she nearly reached the bottom of the collection of branches. She managed to grab hold of a rather flexible one, which buckled under her weight and snapped. Ordinarily, a branch like this was big enough and thick enough to hold her weight, but not from dropping from that height.

It didn't break away completely though. A portion of the branch remained attached, with Arrietty clinging to it. She now hung over a nine-foot drop straight down if she fell.

Heart pounding, Arrietty gripped the branch as tightly as she could. Looking up, she saw that she was hanging down about three inches in bean length from the part of the branch that hadn't snapped. If she could just grab into there and hoist herself up…

Trembling, she slowly shifted her position to be able to climb. The moment she began to move upward, there was a cracking sound. Her end was going to disconnect from the rest if then branch. It was only a matter of time, and climbing up would only make it break faster.

"Help me!" she shouted.

Forgetting Shō, Spiller hurried towards Arrietty, jumping from branch to branch. He quickly realized that there was a problem. The branch Arrietty was hanging on was too far away from any others to reach her.

Popping his finger in his mouth, he wetted it and felt for a breeze. There wasn't one. His initial plan had been to use his specially designed suit to ride the wind, like a flying squirrel would, and grab her. There was only one option left. He was going to have to crawl out onto the branch Arrietty was clinging to and pull her.

Lacking the experience of jumping from branch to branch, Shō was much slower getting over. Spiller was already carefully crawling along the branch Arrietty was on. His weight caused the branch to bend down, and another splinter snapped off the broken part that Arrietty was hanging on. She screamed and ended up sliding further down the broken end. How much longer before the broken end completely disconnected from the branch and Arrietty went falling to her death?

Shō was panicking. He had to do something. But what? He couldn't see any other option besides crawling out on the branch like Spiller was doing. The problem was that his weight could shake loose the broken part Arrietty was hanging onto. They could only hope that the broken part would hold long enough for Spiller to pull her up.

That's when Shō realized that Arrietty had slid too far down and was unable to climb back up. Spiller wouldn't be able to reach her without climbing down onto the actual broken part. There was no possible way it would hold the weight of both of them. It was barely hanging on with Arrietty's weight. Even now, another splinter cracked off.

The broken part of the branch began spinning slightly, indicating that it was only hanging on by the smallest bit and could detach at any moment. Shō desperately looked around for another way to get to her. There wasn't one. She was a good ten inches away from any other branches, and there were none beneath her. Once she fell, it was a straight drop down.

' _I have to get to her somehow.'_  He realized.

Looking around, his gaze landed on a thinner branch behind him. A crazy idea occurred to him, one that could very well cost him his life, and that of Arrietty's. But if he didn't do something, she would die for sure. And he'd certainly done enough dangerous things over the past few days.

"This is a really bad idea." He told himself. "A really,  _really_  bad idea. Oh, Shō, what the heck are you thinking? This is the worst idea ever."

But even as he spoke, he set to work. Lining himself up in Arrietty's direction, he pushed against the thinner branch, bending it back as far as it would go. It moaned under the strain of being bent so far, and Shō had to struggle to bring it back even further.

"This is not going to work." He continued to tell himself, yet he continued pushing. "This is definitely the end for me. I am so going to die. Goodbye everyone."

When the branch wouldn't bend back any further, he held on and lifted his legs. The branch acted like a catapult, snapping back to its original position and flinging Shō through the air in the process.

He crashed right into Arrietty and the broken end of the branch detached. His momentum pulled her with him and they crashed painfully into another branch. They immediately began to slide off, and Shō clawed desperately at the branch to get a grip while Arrietty clung to him. His nails dug into the wood, but he was unable to get a grip anywhere, and the two slowly began to slide off the branch.

Something grabbed the back of Shō's shirt and pulled him up. Spiller had reached them, and was pulling him and Arrietty onto the branch. He brought them closer towards the trunk where the branch was thicker so they could all fit on it.

"It ok now." Spiller told them. "You safe."

Shō's heart was racing. He'd been sure he was going to die. Acting without thinking was not a smart thing to do, but he had been desperate and couldn't see any other option.

Arrietty had also thought she was going to die. She had realized that Spiller wouldn't be able to reach her. She wasn't even entirely sure what had happened after that. Suddenly, the boy that looked like Shō had been flying through the air, crashing into her. They'd crashed painfully into another branch, and she had instinctively grabbed onto the first thing she felt, which was him. When she had felt them sliding off the branch, she once again thought she was going to die, this time with the boy that had been crazy enough to make such a reckless rescue attempt, not that she wasn't grateful. But it seemed he had managed to hang on long enough for Spiller to get to them.

Breathing heavily, she struggled to find her voice. "Thanks… thanks a lot…"

The boy was equally out of breath. "No… problem…"

"Arrie." Spiller wrapped his arms around her in a powerful embrace. "Arrie all right. Spiller so glad." He looked at Shō. "You save her. I thank."

"Yes." Arrietty agreed, wiggling out of Spiller's embrace and turning towards the boy, getting a good look at him for the first time. "Thank you for…"

She trailed off as she took him in. The resemblance was uncanny. This was more than a look alike. This was an exact duplicate of the boy she loved. He looked so much like him that her mind began to tell her to accept the impossible. That it  _was_  him.

"I'm just glad we're both ok." He said, giving her a sheepish grin. "But this isn't exactly the way I had planned our reunion."

Arrietty's hands slowly moved to cover her mouth. Tears prickled her eyes as she took him in. The fact that this shouldn't be possible didn't even register to her, only the fact that he was here. "Is that… really you… Shō…?"

Subconsciously, he lifted his hand and gently stroked her cheek. "Hi, Arrietty."

"SHŌ!"

She threw herself at him, nearly knocking them both out of the tree again. Shō had to fight to keep them from falling off the branch. "Careful!" he cried. "We don't want to fall again."

His words didn't even seem to register to her. "You're here! You're here! You're here!"

Once he made sure they weren't going to fall, he hugged her back. "I've missed you so much."

Reality set in again and she broke the embrace, looking him over in disbelief. "But how is this possible? Why are you here? How come you're my size? Shō, what's going on?"

Gently, he wiped the tears from her eyes. "I still don't know exactly how all this is possible myself. Sometimes I still think I'm dreaming. All I know is that a fortuneteller offered me a deal and shrank me down. And I… I came here to be with you."

Arrietty had no idea what he was talking about, but she didn't really care. He could explain it better to her later. Right now, she just wanted to hold him.

"Oh, Shō." She hugged him again, burying her face in his chest. "You're really here. I can't believe it. Please don't let this be a dream."

Shō stroked her hair affectionately. "If anyone is dreaming, it's me, and I hope I never wake up."

Spiller watched this display of affection unhappily. He'd had enough. Already Arrietty was crying. She cried far too much over this boy. Once he was gone, she'd be even sadder. That was what he was afraid of. He wouldn't allow her to be sad.

Grabbing hold of her, he pulled her back, giving Shō a dirty look. "That enough! You make her cry again. This why you should not have come. Now she sad."

Arrietty couldn't help it, she laughed. "Oh, Spiller, you've got it all wrong. I'm not sad."

Spiller gave her a confused look. "But you crying. You always cry over this boy. He always make you sad."

She shook her head. "Not this time. Now I'm crying because I'm happy. I missed him so much, that's why I was always so sad." She looked at him again, her eyes shining with love. "Shō…"

Spiller frowned. He looked from Arrietty to Shō, then back again. "Arrie," he said softly, "you love him, yes?" She turned to him again, looking surprised. "Tell Spiller the truth, Arrie, you love him."

Arrietty's heart ached for her friend, who she always considered as a brother. In this moment, looking into his eyes, she had to tell him the truth. "Yes, Spiller. I do. I always have."

Spiller looked down, his eyes sad. "You say you love me too. But it different, isn't it? You no love me the way I love you. You love him like I love you."

Arrietty resisted the urge to turn away. "I'm sorry, Spiller."

"No sorry." Spiller told her, giving her a sad smile. "Arrie no be sorry for how she feel." He wiped his eyes. "All I ever want was for you be happy, Arrie. I no make you happy."

"Spiller, you make me happy-"

"Not the same way." He interrupted. "He make you happy. He here now. He make you happy the way you need. No more wedding." He stood up straight, putting on a brave front, but he still had tears in his eyes. "I go now."

He took off, jumping the tree branches. Not once did he look back.

"Spiller!" Arrietty called after him. She felt like such an awful person. She might as well have ripped out his heart and stomped on it. She felt her own tears fall. "Oh, Spiller. I'm so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you."

It wasn't good enough. She needed to sit down and have a real serious talk with Spiller when he came back. She knew he would once he calmed down. Spiller was very loyal and caring. He wouldn't leave them for anything.

She tensed up when she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders. She had actually forgotten about Shō for a moment. She'd been so focused on speaking her heart to Spiller that she had blocked out everything else.

"Arrietty…" he whispered, "did you mean what you just said?"

Her eyes widened and heat flooded her face. She had just openly confessed out loud her true feelings for him to Spiller, and he had been right there. That hadn't been her intent. She had meant only to tell Spiller how she truly felt, not admit to Shō that she loved him.

Embarrassed was far too mild a word for how she felt. How could she face him now? After seeing someone for six years, you don't normally admit you love them the moment you're reunited. What was she supposed to say to him now? She hadn't planned on a confession, let alone what she might say afterwards.

She turned to face him, her mouth opening to speak. Whatever she was going to say died on her lips as she looked into his eyes. The emotion portraying in them was overwhelming, and she was suddenly at a loss for words. But the look on his face was pleading with her to speak the truth, and she found her lips moving without even thinking of what she wanted to say.

"I… I do…" she whispered to him. "I really do mean it. I was just… I mean, I've always been…"

Shō placed a finger against her lips to silence her and cupped her cheeks. "Thank God."

And then he kissed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: There you go, the moment you've all been waiting for. The two are finally reunited. Oh, but poor Spiller. But you all knew he was going to have his heart crushed eventually. Someone always gets hurt in a love triangle. Not everyone gets a happy ending. That's the real world folks. See where things go from here next chapter, and be prepared for a twist that I've been hinting to throughout the story.)


	17. The Debt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Got a nice long chapter for you all. It contains the twist I hinted at in certain parts of the story. So far, only one person picked up on the hints, and they were only partially right. Now lets get back to the reunion between Arrietty and Shō.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 17: The Debt**

Arrietty's eyes bulged out. It took her several seconds to register the fact that Shō was kissing her. Once she realized what was happening, a comfortable warmth filled her. She noticed an immediate difference between his kiss and Spiller's. Though no less passionate, it was the feelings that came with it that made the real difference. The love and affection, the warmth and comfort, the overwhelming joy and desire, all this was in this one kiss. This was what Spiller's kiss had been missing. All these emotions. His kiss had been completely one-sided, but Shō's kiss was completely reciprocated.

Slowly, Arrietty's arms came up and wrapped around Shō's neck. Then she was kissing him back. She felt tears in her eyes threatening to spill, but she held them in, not wanting to ruin the moment, not wanting it to ever end.

This couldn't be real. There was no way something like this could ever happen. This had to be a dream. That was it. It was a wonderful, cruel dream that would break her heart to wake up from. She cursed her mind for playing tricks on her like this. Her heart couldn't bear it.

Perhaps she was getting one last moment in her sleep to see what life could have been like with Shō before she had to let him go and commit herself to Spiller. Did that make this a wonderful dream, or a terrible nightmare since it wasn't real? Maybe fate would be kind and let her stay in a coma for the rest of her life so she wouldn't have to make up and would be able to stay with Shō. Or perhaps she really had fallen of the tree and was now in Heaven. She decided that she didn't care and let her mind give way to her feelings.

The lack of oxygen began to affect them, and they slowly came apart. Arrietty kept her eyes closed, not wanting to open them and find Shō gone. Leaving him six years ago had been hard enough. To have him gone once again, when her feelings were so much more than they were back then, that would be…

"Arrietty?"

"I don't want to open my eyes." She told him. "I'm afraid you'll be gone if I do."

His thumb traced her cheek. "Look at me, Arrietty."

Slowly, almost fearfully, she opened her eyes. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him. She slowly reached up and cupped his face. "It's really not a dream?"

He shook his head. "No, not a dream. I've been searching for you for the past three days."

She looked him up and down. "While you were this size? Oh, Shō, that was so reckless and dangerous. You know nothing of our world."

Shō smiled. "I'm a fast learner."

A terrible thought occurred to her. "But what of your heart? Aren't you not supposed to exert yourself?"

"I'm fine now." He told her. "The operation was a success. My heart is fine now."

Without thinking, he lifted his shirt, showing her the faint scar running down the center of his chest. Arrietty blushed profoundly. Shō immediately realized what he'd done and blushed as well. He was about to lower his shirt when Arrietty reached out and traced the scar with her finger, making Shō shiver.

"I still can't believe this is possible." She whispered, more to herself than to Shō.

He nodded in agreement. "It feels like fate. I was just going about my day when that fortuneteller appeared. She told me that you were being forced into an arranged marriage and you weren't happy about it." He gave her a serious look, needing to know the truth. "Were you unhappy?"

She frowned, choosing her words carefully. "I don't know if unhappy was the right word. I know Spiller would have made a good husband, and I know he loves me, but it wasn't what I wanted. Reluctantly resolved to my fate would be a better way to describe how I felt."

Shō shook his head. "That wasn't good enough for me. I wanted you to be happy, and she told me that I could make you happy."

"And you came searching for me based on that?"

Hearing that made him feel rather foolish. "Well, if there was anything I could have done for you, I would have done it." He gave her a smile. "By the way, I have something for you."

He unclipped her hairpin from the rubber band around his waist and held it out to her. Arrietty's eyes widened in recognition. "Shō, is that…?"

He nodded. "The very same one you gave me six years ago."

She reached out, running her hand over the plastic clip. "You actually kept it all these years?"

"Of course. I treasured it. It was a momentum from you. I always had it with me. But now that we're together again, I can return it to you. May I?"

Arrietty nodded. Turning around, she held back her hair, allowing Shō to attach the clip to her hair, putting it up in the same fashion it had been in when they first met.

She slowly turned around to face him, looking like she was going to cry again. "Oh, Shō." She hugged him, resting her forehead against his. "I'm so glad you met that fortuneteller."

Shō hugged her back. "So am I. I'm very grateful to her."

"Gratitude is well and good," came a familiar voice, "but I want payment."

The two looked up. Sitting on another branch was the very fortuneteller they had been speaking of. Shō was surprised to see her in borrower size, but figured that he shouldn't be surprised. She had shrunk him, so why wouldn't she be able to shrink herself?

Arrietty was even more surprised. "You're a borrower."

"I am many things." The fortuneteller told her. "Magic makes many things possible."

"And I'm sorry for ever doubting you." Shō told her. "Did I make it in time? Can you make the spell permanent?"

The fortuneteller floated down to the branch they were standing on. "It's already done. The moment she confessed her love, your fate was sealed. Here." She reached into her robes and pulled out an object. "I have a present for you."

She tossed the object to Arrietty. She was shocked to see it was the teakettle from the dollhouse that Shō had given to her family six years ago; the one her mother had been so fond of.

Shō recognized it as well, looking at the fortuneteller in disbelief. "How did you…?"

Removing her glasses, exposing her unusual night sky eyes, she gave him a pointed look. "Out of all the things I've done, getting hold of that surprises you. Consider it a housewarming gift. No extra charge." She looked directly at Arrietty. "You know, this boy has been through a lot over the past few days. He's given up so much for you. Pretty much everything he knows and his entire way of life. Not to mention the danger he went through. There were a few times I thought he wouldn't make it."

Shō's eyes widened. "Wait, you mean you were watching me the whole time?"

She turned back to Shō and held up her crystal ball. "I was. I had to keep track of my investment."

Now he felt a little angry. "I could have really used your help several times."

"I told you before, I would not be able to help you once your journey began. Whether you reached your destination or not was no concern of mine, but I wouldn't make a profit if you'd died, so I at least kept watch. Yet I still couldn't step in, even when I wanted to." She shrugged. "It doesn't matter. You still made it. You've come a long way and sacrificed a lot, but the two of you are finally reunited. Was it worth it?"

Shō hugged Arrietty to himself. "Completely."

"Well then," she continued, stroking her crystal ball, "all that's left is the matter of my payment."

Shō sighed. "Right, payment."

But how exactly was he supposed to pay her? He had no money on him. Writing a check at this size would be difficult, not that he had any. He supposed he could just give her his bank account number. Even if she took more out of his account than what they agreed on, it wasn't like he had any use for money anymore anyway. But he didn't even know is bank account off the top of his head.

"How exactly are we supposed to go about this?" he asked.

"You give, I take." She said simply.

Arrietty had no clue what they were talking about. As a borrower, she had no concept of money. "What's going on?" she asked, setting down the teakettle.

Shō chuckled. "Humans use money as methods of payment. I suppose you could call it a type of trade."

The fortuneteller tapped her long nails against her crystal ball. "Yes, about that. There seems to have been a misunderstanding on your part. It's quite common in my dealings. Lots of my clients misunderstand."

Shō blinked in confusion. "I don't understand."

"Clearly." The fortuneteller muttered impatiently. "You're under the impression that when I asked for payment, you assumed I meant money."

"Um, what else is there?"

"Years." She replied. "I want years. You owe me sixty of them."

Shō didn't understand. "What do you mean, years?"

She traced her finger over her crystal ball. "It's quite simple. I told you before that I've lived a very long time. A few thousand years actually. How do you think I've lived so long? The payment I require for my services are years from my clients' life. You owe me sixty."

Shō stared at her for a moment, then laughed uneasily. "Ha, ha, very funny. You had me going for a second there."

The fortuneteller took a step towards him. "I never lie. You said you would do anything to be with your beloved Arrietty. You signed a contract, and I told you it would cost you sixty. It's through no fault of my own that you assumed I spoke of cash."

Shō felt his stomach clench in dread as the reality of the situation hit him. "Who would ever expect you to take years for payment?" he shouted.

The contract Shō had signed three days ago appeared and the fortuneteller held it out to him, pointing to some strange symbols. "It's written right there in the contract."

Shō backed up. "That doesn't say anything. It's just a bunch of symbols."

"It's in Laputan. And once again, it's not my fault you cannot read it. Buyer beware, as the saying goes."

Arrietty was trying hard to follow this conversation. She hoped the conclusion she was coming to was wrong. "Wait, are you saying you're going to take years off his life?"

The fortuneteller glanced at her. "Very perceptive."

"You can't!"

"But I can!" she insisted, holding up her crystal ball. "Whether he was aware of the conditions or not, the contract is official and inescapable. Do you think you're the first one greedy for more than what you've been handed in life? Do you think you deserve special privileges over others? That's not how it works. If you want something special, it requires special payment. No one can deny me what is rightfully mine. I  _will_  receive payment. "

The crystal ball began glowing.

Arrietty pulled out her pin, the same one she had found during her first borrowing. She was glad that she was smart enough to always take it with her when she went outside, just in case.

"Stop!"

The fortuneteller glanced at her. "You can't deny me what is mine through force."

The crystal ball flashed and the pin flew out of Arrietty's hands, burying in a tree branch.

Arrietty turned to Shō. "Run away!"

But before he could move, one of the twigs on the branch wrapped around him, holding him in place as the fortuneteller stepped towards him. Arrietty cried out and rushed towards her, but an invisible barrier pushed her back, nearly knocking her out of the tree.

"Time to pay you're debt." The fortuneteller told him.

"Hold on!" Shō cried.

"Please don't!" Arrietty begged. "Take the years from me instead."

The fortuneteller shook her head. "Not possible. Magic has rules. I can only take it from him, and I shall have what is rightfully mine."

A golden aura surrounded Shō. He began aging rapidly, his skin shriveling up, his hair turning gray. A wheezing moan escaped him as he took on the appearance of an eighty year old man.

The gold aura drifted away from Shō's body and condensed down into a small speck of light. It floated over to the fortuneteller and she placed it inside of her crystal ball with the several dozen others. Shō now knew what those flecks of light in her crystal ball were, the life essence of others.

The twig released him and Shō collapsed. He felt weak and weary. He tried to get up, but his legs gave out and he collapsed again.

"Shō!" Arrietty rushed over to him, helping him sit up.

"He'll be fine." The fortuneteller told her. "He's just a little weak and disorientated from the sudden age change. I have no idea how many more years he has left though. He may even die tomorrow. But some time with the one you love is better than no time at all. So you better enjoy whatever time you have left."

Arrietty turned to the fortuneteller, her teary eyes full of hatred. "You heartless monster! How could you do this?"

She shrugged. "I gave him what he wanted. He said he would do  _anything_  to be with you. If the cost was too great, he should never had made the deal."

"You tricked him!"

"Buyer beware." The fortuneteller repeated. "He's not the first this has happened to. I've been making such deals for years." She traced her crystal ball affectionately. "Long ago, I was once a citizen of the floating city, Laputa. When my people began to die out, I swore I would never submit to death. I stole this crystal-glass ball from the treasure chamber, and I've been living off the years of others ever since. He's not the first, nor will he be the last. And I don't do refunds."

Arrietty looked down at Shō, then turned to the fortuneteller again. "Then how about a trade. You can do that, right? I'll trade my years for his."

Shō struggled to look up at her. "Arrietty… no…"

The fortuneteller ignored him. "You've actually beaten me to the punch. I was going to make the very same suggestion. You must really love him to make the offer yourself. Very well, this is the deal I'll make you. I'll return one year to him for every two years you give me."

Arrietty's fists clenched. "That's not a fair trade."

"That depends on how much you want something. Besides, if I simply traded one year for another, I wouldn't benefit at all. The deals stands at and will stay at one year for the price of two."

Shō struggled to get up, but was unable to. "Y-You planned this… from the very beginning…"

"I make my business where I can." the fortuneteller replied. "And this does not concern you." She made a zippering gesture and Shō found his lips literally sealed shut. The fortuneteller turned back to Arrietty. "Now then, allow me to make a suggestion." She glanced at Shō. "Having taken sixty years from him, he's now seventy-eight. You, my dear, are twenty. I would suggest giving me forty years. I will then give him back twenty. That would make him fifty-eight and you sixty. Your ages will be just two years off. It's a good offer, don't you think?"

Arrietty glared at her. "And if I accept, you would gain eighty years instead of sixty."

"Or," the fortuneteller replied, "I could keep what I have, and the two of you can remain as you are. Separated by fifty-eight years. The choice is yours."

Arrietty looked at Shō, who was shaking his head, then back at the fortuneteller. "You're cruel."

"As is the world, although I would think that you'd show the one who allowed you and you're true love to be together some gratitude, regardless of the consequences." She raised her crystal ball and held out her hand. "Now, enough talk. I'm a very busy woman. If you don't want to make the trade, then I'll be moving on. If you do, the shake my hand and we shall have a bargain. No contracts, no conditions, just a straight up swap. What do you say?"

The young girl looked like she wanted nothing more than to claw out the fortuneteller's abnormal eyes, but instead she glanced at Shō again. He was still shaking his head, silently telling her not to accept the deal since he couldn't use words.

Turning back to the fortuneteller, she walked towards her, raising her hand to shake the woman's. The crystal ball began glowing again as Arrietty prepared to make the trade.

Something flew through the air at rapid speed. An arrow soared past them, hitting its mark and burying itself in a branch. The crystal ball in the fortuneteller's hand shattered from the arrow striking it, the pieces flying everywhere.

The fortuneteller's abnormal eyes widened and she fell to her knees. "No! No, it can't be!" She looked in the direction of where the arrow came from, seeing Spiller on another branch, having been the one to shoot the arrow. "What have you done? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!"

Free from the crystal ball, the flecks of light began floating away. The fortuneteller grabbed at them, but they drifted right through her hands.

Then it started to happen. The fortuneteller looked on in horror as the skin on her hands began to shrivel. Wrinkles appeared on her face as she began to age even faster than Shō had.

Grabbing at her turban and veil, she tore them off. Her hair had already turned gray, nearly white, and her appearance was of that of a very old woman. She clawed at her face, screaming in rage as she stumbled backwards. Falling to her knees, she toppled over, hidden beneath her robes. Arrietty could still see one of her hands sticking out and watched as it continued to age until there was nothing but the bones of her skeleton.

The clothed skeleton slid off the branch, falling out of the tree, down, down, down, to the pile of mulch at the bottom of the tree. Miniature bones scattered about as the bundle hit the ground. The bones aged further until they were completely reduced to dust. Almost as if to cleanse the spot she fell, a breeze blew, blowing away the pile of ashes and bundle of clothes. The fortuneteller was gone.

Back up in the tree, Arrietty had turned away from the fortuneteller once she had fallen. She knelt down by Shō again, pulling his head into her lap. His lips had become unsealed, and he was breathing heavily.

"Shō, I'm sorry." she whispered tearfully. "I wanted to help."

He shook his head. "I wouldn't have wanted you to. Not like that."

At that point, Spiller had rejoined them. Looking over his shoulder, he caught sight of something and tapped Arrietty on the shoulder. "Arrie, look."

Looking in the direction he was pointing, she saw the flecks of light that had been inside the crystal ball. Most of them flickered out and disappeared while others floated away in different directions, almost as if they had a destination.

One of the flecks of light drifted over to them. It hovered over to Shō and floated into his chest. His body began to illuminate with gold light, just as it had before, and, as rapidly as he had aged, he began to get younger. His wrinkles disappeared and his hair turned black again as he was restored to his proper age. He inhaled a large gulp of air, as if he had been starved of oxygen, and he began breathing heavily again.

"Shō!" Arrietty exclaimed, hugging him tightly. "You're back to normal. Are you alright now?"

Feeling his strength restored, Shō got to his feet. His aches and pains were gone, and he no longer felt tired and weak, though he was still a little disorientated from the sudden change in age again.

"I feel fine. A little dizzy, but pretty good."

Arrietty threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Thank goodness. I thought I was going to lose you again."

He gently returned the embrace. "I still can't believe you were going to sacrifice yourself your youth like that for me."

She looked up at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "I'd rather have as many years with you as I can as an old woman than have all those youthful years without you."

"Arrietty…"

The two just held each other. Spiller watched them and sighed, sitting down. He looked both happy and sad at seeing the two of them together. He eventually turned away and picked up the teakettle the fortuneteller had brought, examining it curiously.

"What's going on out here?"

Pod poked his head outside. His eyes settled on the other three, lingering on Shō as he and Arrietty broke apart. He was shocked to see another borrower, but for some reason felt like he'd seen the boy before.

"Oh, hello." He greeted warmly. "And who might you be?"

Spiller looked at the others. "You explain. I think I go inside now."

As he headed inside, Homily risked stepping outside to see what the commotion was and saw Spiller coming towards her. "Spiller, what's happening?" Her eyes landed on what he was holding. "AH! My teakettle!" She snatched it out of his hands and hugged it. "It's the same on from the dollhouse! How did you get it?"

Spiller shook his head. "Not I." He pointed at Shō. "Him."

Homily looked at Shō. "Huh? Who's that?"

"That's just what I was asking." Said Pod. "Arrietty seems to know him."

The young girl smiled and nodded. "Yes, I've known him for a long time."

"Oh?" her parents said together.

"From where?" Homily asked.

Shō looked at Arrietty, then at her parents and sighed. "I've got quite a story to tell you…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Quite a story indeed. But it's not done yet. There's still one chapter remaining. And who saw the twist with the fortuneteller? I'd realized back when I was still brainstorming ideas for this fic that it was lacking a real villain, so I made the fortuneteller that villain. If you'll recall, back when she made the deal with Shō, she never once referred to money as payment, nor did she correct him when he asked if she was demanding 60 thousand yen, she simply said that her services were not cheap. Also, during her appearances throughout the story, her only concern had never been for Shō, but about her payment. Back in chapter 8, she even used one of the flecks of light in her crystal ball to rejuvenate herself. And speaking of her crystal ball, did any of you catch the "Castle In The Sky" reference. I also did one of "Spirited Away" when the fortuneteller sealed Shō's lips. Anyway, about Spiller, I wanted to make him the surprise hero in the end, giving him an important role to play other than Shō's rival. Oh, and I should mention that while I was writing this, I realized that the fortuneteller's defeat was similar to the witch's from "Tangled". That had not been my intention; it just came out that way. I had this scene planned out before I even made the connection. Phew, well, I think I've said more than enough. The last chapter will be out very soon, so look forward to it.)


	18. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Final chapter, short and sweet. It's sad, but it's inevitable. Hope you'll enjoy it while it lasts.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Epilogue**

She didn't know why she kept coming here. She just felt drawn to this tree for some reason, like something special to her was here. For some reason, she felt a connection to her son at this spot. But that was silly. He'd disappeared several years ago, having left only a message on her answering machine to let her and her husband know that he was ok. He hadn't said where he was going, only that if he didn't return that he was happy. She really hoped that was true.

Still, for some reason she kept coming back to this tree. She didn't know why, it was just an old memorial tree. Other than that, there wasn't anything special about it. But her mother's instinct, as she felt it was, brought her back her every few weeks.

She hadn't told her husband about why she kept coming; she hadn't told anyone. As far as anybody knew, she just enjoyed taking walks in the park and resting under this tree for a while. If she told anyone that she felt connected to her son while sitting under this tree, people would probably look at her strangely.

Once again, she wondered what happened to her son. He was still alive, she felt that, and she missed him terribly. She suspected that he went across seas or something. Perhaps he went on a spiritual journey or something. But he had told her that if he didn't return that he was happy. Maybe he'd even settled down with a pretty girl and had a bunch of kids.

A sad smile crept up her face as she thought about grandchildren. There were times when she thought her son wouldn't make it into his teenage years, let alone becoming a father. His poor heart had always left a cloud of death hanging over them. After the operation, he had been in good health, and the future that she had been hoping and praying her son would have was finally possible.

But it seemed she'd lost her son anyway. Not to death, but to life. She supposed she should be happy for him, wherever he was. Life had been given to him, and he was out living it the way he wanted. As long as she kept that in mind, she would be content.

With a sigh, she rested her head against the tree, looking up. For a split second, she thought she saw a little person looking down at her from in the branch before they ducked out of sight. She blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes. There was nothing there now, and it was too high up for her to check.

Could that have been a…? No, that was just silly. Why would a little person be in a tree? According to her father, they lived in the walls and floors of other people's houses, so they wouldn't be in a tree. That is, if they even existed. Although she believed what her father said, she had never seen one, so there was always some doubt in her mind.

Perhaps it was her mind playing tricks on her. Yes, that had to be it. She was getting up there in years and was finding herself feeling tired more often. She must be tired now and had seen something that wasn't there. Or perhaps she had dozed off for a minute or two. Maybe she'd take a nap when she got home.

With that thought in mind, she left the shade of the tree and began walking down the road.

Once she was at a far enough distance, a little girl of six years with black hair and her mother's eyes came out of her hiding spot behind the leaves. That had been close. She would need to be more careful. Being seen was the one thing a borrower must never allow to happen. Her parents had told her that long ago, and her grandparents reminded her far more often than necessary.

"There you are." The girl looked towards the entrance of the tree to see her father coming out. "Your mother and I were wondering where you got to. What are you doing out here?"

She stood up, dusting her clothes off. "I was waiting for Uncle Spiller to come back." She pointed at the woman. "Look, Papa, that lady came back again."

Shō looked where his daughter was pointing, seeing the woman walking away. A sad look crossed his face as he watched her leaving. "So she did. I wonder why she keeps coming back."

"Do you think she knows about us, Papa?"

Shō shook his head. "No, I doubt it." Although sometimes he wished she did. It would be nice to be able to let her know he was safe and happy. He glanced at his daughter. "You weren't seen, were you?"

The girl shook her head. "I was careful, Papa. She almost caught me, but I was too quick."

He sighed. "You know you can't be seen. Your grandmother would have a heart attack."

"Granny worries too much."

There was a laugh from behind Shō as his wife appeared by his side holding their sleeping infant son in her arms. "I know that better than anyone. I grew up with her."

Shō wrapped an arm around her, kissing her cheek lovingly. "She has a right to worry, but I agree, she does worry too much." He looked back at the woman walking away. "Just like my mother worries about me."

Arrietty looked at him in concern. "Shō?"

He gave her a smile. "It's all right. I never once regretted my decision."

"What decision?" his daughter asked, skipping over to them.

Shō smiled down at her and patted her head. "I'll tell you when you're older."

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: *Sigh* I hate writing those last two words. It means the story is at an end. I really enjoyed writing this one too. Not that I don't enjoy my other ones, some are just more fun than others. Sorry to those of you that expected/wanted Lori and Spiller to end up together, but I was trying to be more realistic. Not everyone gets the happy ending Shō and Arrietty received. And Shō's mother misses her son, but she likes to believe that he's happy wherever he is, and he is. Anyway, thanks to everyone that stuck with me until the end. The next Ghibli story I want to aim for is "Ponyo". I'm still brainstorming ideas, so it'll be a while, but it will happen eventually, so look forward to that. In the mean time, I hope you'll take a look at my other fics.)


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